Chapter 29
The wheels of the carriage rattled into London as Lily looked out at the rainy street. It had just begun to drizzle when she had left the country, and the earth was not being blanketed in a fine sheet of dampness.
Images of the night in the mill flooded her memory.
Why had it taken me so long to realize I love him?
Her heart ached terribly with every bump in the road as she recalled the soft kisses and all of the stolen glances.
If she had not been so stubborn, she could have had more memories to hold onto with him.
Yet as things stood, she would live alone in New York while Julian carried on with his life in England.
There were plenty of aristocratic marriages in which the husband and wife lived apart; she and Julian would just be another one of them.
A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly used the back of her hand to wipe it away. “There is no use in crying over spilled milk,” she said out loud and tried to put on a brave face.
She had woken up early that morning after a sleepless night and packed her things.
She would not hurt Julian by asking him for an annulment, but she would stay as far away from him as possible.
She had reasoned with herself that if she were in America and Julian were in England, none of the stories could touch him.
Nobody would care what Oliver had to say once she was out of England.
He would have no outlet and no way of blackmailing her if the rest of the ton lost interest in where she was.
Oliver was an untitled man of the ton with little to nothing to hold over their heads if she was no longer implicated in his scandals.
It was a long gamble to think that he would simply let Julian and his family be, but it was a chance that Lily was willing to take.
I have to save them as Julian saved me.
A faint smile touched her lips in the reflection of the carriage window as she thought of all the way he had saved her. He had not only saved her from Oliver but from the loneliness she had felt leading up to their marriage.
Without even realizing it, he had begun to fix the things inside of her that Oliver had broken. And for that, she was willing to give up the rest of her life.
The carriage came to a stop in front of her aunt’s house.
The building seemed almost strange and unfamiliar to her as she gazed out the window.
She had been an entirely different person since the last time she had set foot in the halls.
It almost seemed like years had passed, when in truth, it had been much shorter than that.
A footman hurried forward through the fine rain and opened the carriage door, helping Lily to alight before showing her inside.
Her cloak was covered in droplets by the time they entered the front door. The butler greeted her politely and took her cloak and gloves before informing her that her aunt and mother were receiving guests in the parlor.
“Shall I announce your presence, my lady?” He stood tall with his expression unreadable.
“No, thank you. I shall sneak upstairs to my old chambers and wait until Lady Brewster’s guests have left.” She thanked the butler and headed in the direction of the stairs, pausing when she heard the sound of a familiar voice drifting down the hall.
“Papa?” She stopped with her foot on the bottom step. Nobody had told her that her father had come to England, but then again, there was every possibility that her tired mind was playing tricks on her.
Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, she turned from the stairs and headed in the direction of the downstairs parlor. Her shock was amplified when she stepped into the room and saw not only her mother, father, and aunt, but the Duke and Duchess of Archibald as well.
Lord, save us all.
She stood silently in the doorway, wondering if they had come to confront her or, even worse, hold her accountable for the rumors.
“Lily!” Her mother announced in shock, coming to her feet before crossing the room. “We were not expecting you.” She drew Lily in for a hug before looking her in the eyes again. “Your father wanted to surprise you.” She stepped aside and allowed her father to come forward.
Daniel Prescott smiled broadly at her as he came to his feet.
His thinning brown hair had been combed to the side, and his round belly was just beginning to place a strain on his shirt.
He was a small man of short stature, and it seemed as if the time alone in New York had plumped him up considerably.
“You look as if you have seen a ghost, my girl.” He said as he drew her into his arms, his light brown eyes filling with tears.
Allowing her father to embrace her, Lily let out a sigh before speaking. “Papa, I do not understand why you are here?” She looked from her parents to the duke and duchess, who seemed to be just as stunned as she felt.
Drawing away, her father’s bushy brows knit together as she frowned. “I wanted to come and surprise you, but I also wanted to make certain that you were safe. Your mother wrote to me weeks ago and told me of Mr. King’s letter. I hear he has since arrived in London.”
All the color drained from Lily’s face as she felt herself going pale.
But why are the duke and duchess here?
Her hands began to tremble slightly as she sucked in a sharp breath. If the rumors had already begun to spread, then it was almost certainly too late for her to escape and save Julian’s reputation.
As if the duchess could read her thoughts, Lady Archibald came to her feet. “It is good to see you, Lady Barnard. I am sure you are wondering why we are here.” She smiled softly, yet the concern in her eyes stayed fixed in place.
The duke simply nodded at her with a furrowed brow, seeming more grumpy than usual.
Coming to her feet, her aunt cleared her throat. “I think you had better have a seat, Lily, dear. The duke and duchess have heard some very disturbing rumors.” Her aunt's voice was filled with concern as she gestured to one of the settees.
Breaking down, Lily began to sob as her father caught her and stopped her from collapsing. “I am so sorry. I have done everyone such a great injustice by not telling the truth from the start.”
“What is that you say?” the duke barked, getting to his feet.
Raising her hands, the duchess stopped her husband. “Let us allow Lady Barnard to explain her side of the story before we jump to conclusions,” she said firmly.
The duke muttered under his breath and waited for Lily to be guided to a settee before speaking again. “Well then, Lady Barnard, out with it. What have you failed to tell us from the start?” His voice was filled with suspicion as he bit the words out.
Taking a deep breath, Lily composed herself again. “The rumors of my involvement are false. I never knew of anything that Mr. King had been involved in during our betrothal. I dare say that he wanted my father’s money to further his cause and finances.”
The room grew tense as every person hung on her every word.
The duke even shifted forward in his seat as he listened.
“Mr. King confessed to me last night at the ball that he was indeed involved in passing along information to the Spanish as well as the French. He plans to leave the country before anyone can hold him accountable for his actions.”
“And have you any proof of this?” The duke narrowed his eyes as the duchess raised a hand to her mouth in shock.
Lily nodded as her throat suddenly felt too dry.
“I do. Several bribes were given to Mr. King for the information he provided. Some of those bribes were given to me as gifts. Gifts, jewelry, that are now safely stowed away in my belongings that are being taken upstairs. Mr. King planned to incriminate me with these items and thus force me to return to him.”
Gasping, the duchess reached for her husband’s arm. “Do you think that these items of jewelry could be traced?”
The duke seemed thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “It would take a very good jeweler to examine the items and determine their origin, but I am certain that something could be done about the matter.”
Relief began to flood Lily’s body as she realized that the duke was beginning to believe her. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and continued. “That is not all. Mr. King sent several letters threatening me since I departed America. I have kept all of those letters.”
Her father suddenly spoke up, seemingly shaking off his daze. “We could use those letters to prove that he had ill intent toward Lily.”
The duke nodded. “I do believe that we have a very strong case if all that Lady Barnard is saying is true, but what I do not understand is why Lady Barnard has come without her husband?” He turned back to Lily again as everyone looked at her.
Feeling the tears prick at the back of her eyes again, Lily sucked in a sharp breath. “I wanted to come and say goodbye before I left for America again.”
“Goodbye?” Her mother asked in shock.
Lily nodded as her emotions burst and hot tears ran down her cheeks.
“I could not think of another way to save the Sinclair family name. I thought that if I left, the rumors would blow over, and the viscount and his family would be able to move on with their lives. I just did not want anyone else to get hurt.” She looked at her lap as soft sobs raked through her chest.
Coming to her aid, her mother and father both placed their arms around her as they pressed their bodies against hers.
“That is a very noble thing to do, my dearest, but what of you? Do you really wish to leave the home that you have only just begun to build?” her mother asked her softly.
Lily shook her head. “No, but what other option am I left with if Mr. King will not stop with his threats?”
The room fell silent for a moment, and Lily could have sworn that a pin being dropped would have been heard.
The duke finally spoke up in an authoritative voice when nobody else seemed to know what to say.
“We must find Mr. King. You have all the evidence we need to get the matter started, but once we have him in custody, we can certainly take matters from there. One thing I know for certain is that running away is not the answer. We will need you here to testify against Mr. King when the matter is brought to His Majesty’s attention. ”
“But how will we know where to find this Mr. King?” the duchess asked.
Sitting up straighter, Lily finally found her confidence again.
“Mr. King will come wherever I am. If there is one thing that we can count on, it is the fact that Oliver King will not give up once he has set his mind on a matter. Revenge will be first and foremost in his mind, and he will be expecting me to leave with him.”