Chapter 30
The two policemen surrounded Theo, pushing Emmeline away as they clasped his shoulders.
“Excuse me?” she said to the constable. “What arrest?”
“On the charges of theft, espionage, and treason against the King and country,” he responded.
Sebastian wormed his way through the guests, arriving at Emmeline’s side with Louisa on his heels. “This is absurd. I am Lord Haverston, and you will not be entering my home—”
“Sir.” One of the policemen gestured at the leader, pulling Starry Night out of Theo’s pocket.
“That’s my father’s necklace,” Louisa said.
“It’s been reported stolen,” the constable said.
Emmeline flashed a panicked look at Theo. “This is a mistake,” she said to the constable. “It can all be explained!”
“Exactly,” Louisa said. “The necklace has been gone for months. I’m sure there’s a reason—”
“We’ll let the criminal explain himself.” The constable nodded to his two compatriots. “Take him away.”
“No!” Emmeline grabbed Theo’s sleeve, but he was pulled from her. “It’s Wescott, isn’t it?” She stared the constable down. “He told you to do this. It’s vengeance. Theo hasn’t done anything! Let him go!”
“Emmeline.” Theo tore himself out of the policemen’s grasp and strode to her.
“It’ll be fine, I promise. They can’t prove—” He was led away again.
Rafferty managed to bring Theo’s overcoat and swing it over his shoulders, shooting the policemen a disapproving look, and then Theo was gone, and the door closed after them.
Emmeline turned to Sebastian and Louisa. “We have to help him. This is all Wescott’s fault. Nobody else would have a reason to try to hurt Theo.”
“Not to accuse him of anything,” Louisa said, “but why did he have Papa’s necklace?”
“Wescott told him to take it. It’s a long story, but it’s all about Wescott’s history with your father and his hate of him, and—well, he got Theo involved in his revenge, and Theo felt obliged to follow his orders because of the debt …” She raised her hand to her forehead as she paced the lobby.
Sebastian barked some hushed instructions, and Rafferty led away the guests at a quick pace. “What do you wish us to do?” he asked Emmeline.
“I must go talk to Wescott.” She had no idea what she would say to him, and she doubted he could easily be reasoned with, but he was at the heart of it.
Only he knew about Theo stealing the necklace, about his origins, and perhaps even serving in the French army—which is what those treason accusations had to be about.
Sebastian nodded. “I’ll get a carriage ready. I’ll follow them to Bow Street, see what the magistrate has to say. They’ll have to clarify these accusations.”
“Thank you.” She continued to pace frantically, with Louisa uselessly trying to console her, until her ride was ready and the driver sped away.
The few lit windows of Wescott’s residence, fighting against the dark street, offered a deceiving promise of serenity and security. Emmeline felt none as she raced up the steps and banged on the door, then burst into the foyer as soon as the butler opened it. “Where is he?”
“Miss,” the butler started.
“Where’s your master? I need to see Lord Wescott!”
“Stanley, what is this commotion?” Wescott appeared from the parlor. “Ah. I see. Leave us alone.”
The butler bowed and disappeared into the shadows. Emmeline clenched her fists as Wescott stalked toward her.
“Miss Marshall,” he greeted with cold politeness.
“What have you done to Theo?”
“Me?” He chuckled. “Nothing. I’m only helping keep our country safe from dangerous criminals. He stole from a duke, don’t you know—”
“Because you ordered him to!”
“Not to mention his associations with our enemies. A French spy, hiding under everyone’s noses.
There’d been rumors of one last year, after Waterloo, but they never found him.
How fortunate for all of us that I’ve been able to discover him.
God knows what kind of plot to free Bonaparte they’d conjured up this time. ”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You know he’s no spy. You’d do that to your own family?”
Wescott closed in, blue eyes narrowing. “He stopped being my family the moment he chose you.”
“You hate him this much?”
“Hate?” Wescott’s laugh echoed through the foyer. “I don’t hate him. But he’s useless to me now, and he has to pay for his disobedience. I invested fifteen years of my life in him.”
She scoured his eyes for something—any sense of regret or hesitation—but encountered only steel. “You’re insane.”
“No, my dear. I’m a businessman.” He raised a hand and gestured with his fingers; the butler returned. “Accompany Miss Marshall to the door.”
“I can find it, thank you,” she hissed and turned on her heels.
She threw one last glance over her shoulder before she left, though she wasn’t sure why.
Wescott had made up his mind. Behind him, a shadowy figure slipped from the doorway to the parlor toward the stairs—and then the front door was shut in her face.
Sebastian and Louisa were both gone by the time she returned home.
The hour was drawing close to midnight, but nothing could make her go to sleep now, and nothing would soothe her nerves.
Rafferty served her tea; it didn’t help.
She paced the parlor, the foyer, the staircase and the hallway above; it did nothing save for wear down her fine satin slippers.
She clenched her fists and yelled out from frustration and helplessness.
After what felt like an eternity, the front door opened, and Sebastian entered, the dark shadows under his eyes indicating his weariness. “First off, they should sort out their priorities at Bow Street,” he said as he noticed her. “They let me wait for hours.”
She rushed down the stairs. “And?”
“He’s not there.” Sebastian took off his hat and waved it in annoyance. “They’d already processed and concluded his case. They took him to Newgate.”
“The prison?”
He gave her a grim nod. “I’m sorry. I’ll see what I can do tomorrow …” He glanced at his pocket watch. “Well, later today.”
“Of course.” She wouldn’t press him when he was so tired. “Thank you for your help.”
Sebastian smiled wearily. “All for the drama, right?”
She wished she could laugh.
Sebastian got served some tea, too, and kept her company in the parlor, both of them only ghosts of their earlier-evening selves.
An hour later, or two, perhaps, a knock sounded at the door.
Emmeline went to open it, readying a slew of curses for Wescott, or more police, or whoever had come to relish in her suffering, only to discover—
“Daniel?” She blinked and looked again. It wasn’t her exhaustion playing tricks on her mind. He was still there.
He looked slightly disheveled, as if he’d put his clothes on in a hurry and hadn’t bothered to fix his hair. “Come,” he said. “I’ll take you to Theo.”
“You—what?”
“Farenham?” Sebastian planted himself on the doorstep.
“He’s in Newgate,” Daniel said.
“I know.” Emmeline glanced at Sebastian.
“Go,” he said. “If Farenham can help you, go.”
She nodded, only half sure of her decision, and let Daniel lead her to a closed carriage waiting on the street. Louisa was already inside, and Daniel slipped into the seat next to his sister, following Emmeline.
“What’s going on?” Emmeline shifted her eyes between the two of them.
“Wescott ordered for Theo to be sent straight to Newgate,” Daniel said. “On no doubt false accusations. But he is Wescott and what he says goes.”
“Yes, but how do you know that?” she asked.
“Cass told me. Her father locked her in after she and Theo had fought him. She was only able to escape tonight, after you’d come to confront him.”
“Cass …” Louisa shook her head. “As in Lady Cassiopeia? Wescott’s daughter? Why on Earth is she telling you about these things?”
“Because she’s—we’re—” Daniel ran a hand through his hair. Emmeline had never seen him this flustered before. “We have a relationship.”
“You—a what?” Louisa shot from her seat, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling. “You’re consorting with my enemy?”
“Your enemy?” Daniel scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment. “Be just like Father, why don’t you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Emmeline quietly inspected Daniel; his mouth, contorted into a grim line, the sad shine in his eyes. “You’re Romeo and Juliet,” she whispered. “Your fathers are mortal enemies.”
“Papa? And Wescott?” Louisa said.
Daniel glanced away from the houses passing by the carriage window and took in Emmeline and Louisa. “Father and Wescott dueled a long time ago. Father injured Wescott—he was unable to sire any more children. Left without an heir.”
“Which is why he sought out Theo,” Emmeline said.
“But he needed Cass to marry him,” Daniel said with a scowl. “Not the son of his worst enemy.”
“I think I might need some salts,” Louisa breathed.
“I’m sorry,” Emmeline said to Daniel. “This is all my fault, isn’t it?”
“It’s Wescott’s,” Daniel responded. “Father may have injured him, but Wescott’s actions following that are his alone. Besides, I have to thank you. When I came home last summer, I was in one hell of a mood.”
“Because of Wescott?”
He nodded. “He found out about Cass and me. Father also found out and thought the solution was to arrange a marriage for me. I behaved like an absolute brute, but you didn’t let that slide. You made those months a lot more bearable than they would’ve been otherwise.”
“What’s going to happen to you and Cass now?” Emmeline asked.
“She’s hiding at my place. We’re going to Gretna Green.”
Louisa, who’d just calmed down, jumped off her seat again. “Daniel, have you lost your mind?”
“If it were anyone else, you’d enjoy the gossip, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, that’s hardly fair—”
“Let them be,” Emmeline said.
Daniel gave her a small smile.
The carriage drew to a halt in front of a long, gray-bricked building with foreboding, stern-looking walls. Daniel opened the door as soon as they stopped. “You two wait here. I’ll arrange for a visit.” And he was gone.