Chapter 26
Julian had known that he wouldn’t be able to keep his family’s secrets from Verity forever.
He had no desire to keep them from her.
But he didn’t want to create any space between them, and whether she was upset about the treason or about his keeping a secret, he had a feeling matters were going to change between them from here on.
And he rather liked such matters as they were.
“My uncle Michael was a soldier at one point, and in that time, he became close with Lord Norwood.”
Verity’s mouth dropped open, and he reached out and took her hand, needing the connection with her, even if she wouldn’t like where this story was going.
“Yes, Lord Norwood, the same man who committed treason and hid it by killing the former Marquess of Eastclere and Duke of Ravenscar. When they tried to fulfill the duties of their special parliamentary committee and had written the note regarding the treason and hidden it in the Paragon Diamond in order to send to the crown, the note did not just implicate Lord Norwood.”
“Your uncle,” Verity breathed.
“Yes, it seems my uncle Michael was complicit in the scheme and helped Norwood. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, my family discovered his involvement. My father and Charles told him that he had to leave London and hide away in the country, never to involve himself in society again. I am uncertain if Michael truly had ill intentions, but he was most definitely interested in helping Norwood.”
“And then the brothers had to cover up all that he had involved himself with,” Verity said grimly.
“Yes. If they didn’t, then the entire family name would be ruined.”
“Couldn’t let that happen.”
He ignored her sarcasm. “No, they couldn’t. You know how it is, Verity, just like anyone else. They would never allow the family name to be ruined.”
“And you knew this, the entire time.” There was accusation in her tone, but he deserved it.
“That was the extent of what I knew. James was always aware as well. My parents told us so that in case it ever came up years later, we would know to bury it. But you have to believe me, Verity, the extent of it was that my uncle Michael was involved and that he left London, and stayed in the country while the family basically pretended he never existed. I believe most people think he went mad, and the family has allowed that to remain the belief.”
Verity stared at him for a moment, and Julian knew the moment she put the rest of it together.
“My aunt covered it up. For your uncle Charles.”
Julian cringed.
“That was the information that I only recently discovered.”
“That was why you wanted to see the letters so badly,” she said, her voice rising as the carriage rocked over the uneven stones beneath them.
She leaned into him at the bump, and he desperately wanted to reach out and hold her close, but he couldn’t—not now, not when she was so angry.
And she deserved to be. He had kept the truth from her for far too long.
“You wanted to know if the letters referenced your family.”
“Yes, that is true,” Julian admitted. “At first, I was concerned that if they mentioned the Paragon Diamond, they might have connected it to my family. I was relieved when there was no mention of us, until I realized just who the letter writer might be. Charles confirmed it when he became angry with me when I asked. He told me to let it go, to never bring it up, to never tell you or anyone else the truth.”
“So you obeyed him.” Her tone held an icy calm now, but her eyes still spat fire.
“I meant to tell you, but then the situation with Eastclere complicated matters. Along with our own marriage… well, there just wasn’t time.”
She sat back, covering her face with her hands. “Oh, Julian.”
“You’re right,” he said softly now. “I should have told you. I should have given you the information that you were marrying into a family that had committed treason. You had the right to know. Which makes me the worst kind of man, because I think I purposefully made sure you wouldn’t have reason to reject me, and now it’s too late for you to change your mind. ”
She looked at him, shaking her head sadly. “That would never be a reason for me not to marry you.”
“No?” he asked, some hope arising.
“No,” she affirmed. “I am more upset that you kept such a secret from me for so long. I was trying to find all the answers to the letters, and we were working together to uncover the truth about what happened to the diamond. Meanwhile, you knew so much more information the entire time. That is treasonous to me, Julian, because you were not treating me as the partner I was supposed to be.”
“You’re right,” he breathed out. “I’m sorry.”
“It almost makes me feel that you were using me as much as Charles used Mabel.”
“Don’t say that,” Julian pleaded, hating the melancholy in her gaze, almost like she had…
given up. On him. “I never meant to use you. Well, maybe at first, when you came to me with your proposal, I thought that it could be mutually beneficial. That much is true. But the more time we spent together, the more I… well, I fell for you, Verity, and then it wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell you but that I was scared to.
And now…” He swallowed hard. “Now it feels like I waited too long.”
“Would you ever have told me, if you hadn’t been forced to after everything we heard?”
He looked out the window as he thought about that. He had promised her he wouldn’t lie to her, and he hadn’t. He had just omitted the truth. But he wouldn’t lie to her now.
“I think I would have. Eventually. But I might have waited, merely to savor this time with you a little longer.”
“I see.”
She was quiet, and when he looked over at her, she was staring at her hands folded in her lap.
When he reached out and placed his over hers, she looked up at him, sadness in the expression she gave him.
“Do you forgive me?” he practically whispered.
Maybe this was why he had never considered marriage. Never let himself get close to anyone. For the rejection, the desperation… well, it hurt far too much.
“I think I just need some time,” she finally said, just as the carriage came to a halt in front of their small townhouse.
Before he could answer, the driver had the door open.
Verity took Julian’s arm to descend the stairs of the carriage, but as soon as they reached the front door of the house, she strode away briskly through the foyer.
Julian watched her go, then returned to the carriage before the driver could put it away. He didn’t know where he was going, but he couldn’t stay and watch the results of all of his mistakes.
He could only hope that they would resolve themselves before he came back.
* * *
Verity peered out the window and watched Julian drive away.
Where was he going? Her stomach tightened as she considered all of his former vices.
Drinking. Gambling. Women.
Would he admit any further actions to her?
And what would she do if he did?
She wrenched herself away from the window, refusing to remain in such melancholy alone. She had to talk to someone, and right now, she knew of only one person who would understand.
Evelyn.
As Julian had the carriage and Evelyn lived not far, Verity walked to Evelyn’s, relieved to find her friend at home.
“There is my newly married friend!” Evelyn said with a smile as she greeted her, but then immediately sensed the change in Verity’s disposition and wrapped an arm around her elbow. “Come,” she said, tugging her forward. “Let’s walk in the back garden.”
Verity nodded.
“Now,” Evelyn said, “tell me what happened.”
“Well,” Verity began, brushing her fingers over the leaves of a rosebush as they strolled through the small back garden, “I discovered that Julian kept a secret from me. A big secret.”
“Oh?”
Evelyn’s eyebrows arched, and Verity could tell she was ready to go to war for her. But as much as she wanted to share everything, Julian had trusted her with his family’s secrets. Yes, it had been far too late and far too reluctantly, but she couldn’t betray that confidence. Not even to Evelyn.
“I can’t share all, but I can tell you that while he thought he was protecting himself and us, in the end, it just hurt all the more that he didn’t trust me.”
“I understand how that feels,” Evelyn said softly. “When someone you love withholds information from you, it creates a gap that seems impossible to bridge.”
Verity nodded, grateful for Evelyn’s understanding. The two friends walked in silence for a moment, the crunch of gravel beneath their feet the only sound. The garden’s flowers seemed to mock her with their vibrancy when her own feelings were so muted.
“I want to forgive him, but I feel as though I just need time to—” Verity began, but the sound of the garden door opening interrupted her.
“Lady Verity!” Lady Thalia called out, her voice carrying across the garden with unusual urgency. She hurried down the path, light curls bouncing around her face with each step. Behind her came Lady Seraphina, her normally composed features tight with worry.
“Lady Thalia? Lady Seraphina?” Evelyn glanced at Verity in confusion. “What are you doing here? What is the matter?”
“I came looking for Lady Verity,” Seraphina said, her voice low as she glanced over her shoulder. “I went to your house first, but the butler said you had left and might be here.”
Thalia nodded. “Seraphina needs to speak with you immediately. She said it’s about the diamond.”
Verity’s heart leaped. She had been right after all. “Let’s go inside,” she suggested, suddenly aware of the open air around them. The four women made their way into Evelyn’s sitting room, where Thalia closed the door firmly behind them.
“I was there when you and Lord Julian visited Eastclere,” Seraphina began without preamble, her green eyes intense. “I heard everything. And I couldn’t remain silent any longer. Not when it’s affecting so many other people.”
Verity leaned forward, her earlier melancholy momentarily forgotten. “What do you mean?”
Seraphina reached into her reticule and withdrew a small journal. “I’ve been keeping notes. Lord Eastclere has been desperate for weeks now. His debts are far worse than you know. He’s been planning to sell pieces of the diamond to jewelers across London.”
“You have proof?” Verity’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Seraphina opened the journal, revealing meticulous entries. “Dates, amounts, the names of the jewelers. I’ve documented everything. He plans to carefully break the diamond into smaller pieces, selling each one by one.”
“But why?” Thalia asked. “Why would he not sell it whole? It would fetch a much higher price.”
“Because he is going to claim it was stolen,” Seraphina returned, her lithe form tense. “He can’t openly sell what the world believes is missing. But in pieces, no one would recognize it as the Paragon.”
Verity’s mind raced, connecting bits of the puzzle that had eluded her before. “And he needed my dowry to cover his debts while he sold the diamond secretly.”
“Exactly.” Seraphina nodded. “But when you married Lord Julian instead, his plans fell apart. Now he’s desperate, making arrangements for the sale faster than before as he sells his other pieces and arranges to leave London before anyone—most especially the Crown—finds out.”
“We need to expose him,” Verity said firmly, the hurt from Julian’s deception fueling her determination. “But we must be careful. He’s powerful and distressed.”
Evelyn stood, her hazel eyes bright with purpose. “We need a plan. We can’t just confront him with this journal. He’ll deny it and claim Seraphina is lying. We know you to be credible, but other men won’t believe it.”
“Perhaps we need to catch him in the act,” Thalia suggested, her artistic mind clearly working through possibilities. “If we could witness a transaction…”
“I know where he’s meeting the next jeweler,” Seraphina said. “Tomorrow evening. He thinks I’m unaware, but I overheard him making arrangements.”
The four women looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. They needed to act, but they needed to be clever about it.
“We should tell Asher,” Evelyn suggested. “He has the most at stake in recovering the diamond. If the Crown discovers it was lost while in his possession, he could be in great trouble.”
“And Lord Julian,” Verity added softly, despite her lingering hurt. “He suspected the truth about Eastclere all along.”
Thalia’s expression softened. “Will you be all right, Verity? We couldn’t help but overhear that there has been some… tension between you and your husband.”
Verity sighed. “It’s complicated. He kept secrets from me, important ones. But that doesn’t mean I want to exclude him from this.”
“Secrets have a way of destroying relationships,” Seraphina said quietly, her eyes distant. “I’ve seen it happen too many times.”
The weight of those words settled over Verity. She thought of Julian’s confession in the carriage, of his family’s involvement in the treason. Despite her anger, she couldn’t help wondering what she would have done in his position.
“We should meet tomorrow morning,” Evelyn suggested, breaking the momentary silence. “We can plan our approach and decide who needs to be involved.”
Verity nodded, her mind already working through possibilities. “In the meantime, Seraphina, can you continue to gather evidence? Anything that might help us prove Eastclere’s guilt?”
“I’ll do my best,” Seraphina promised. “Though it’s becoming more difficult. He’s grown suspicious of my movements.”
“Be careful,” Thalia warned, placing a protective hand on Seraphina’s arm. “People can be ruthless when cornered.”
As the women began to discuss the details of their plan, Verity found herself thinking of Julian again.
Despite everything, she needed him in this.
His charm and quick thinking would be valuable assets in exposing Eastclere.
And perhaps, in working together again, they might find their way back to the trust they had lost.
But first, they needed to recover the diamond and bring Lord Eastclere to justice. Only then could they begin to mend what had been broken between them.
As long as Julian hadn’t done anything unforgivable today.