Chapter 41
Lavender paced outside the House of Lords, sick with worry.
What if the letter wasn’t sufficient to stem the tide of discontent from Thomas’s disappearance?
Yes, she fully believed him to be innocent of his charges, but she knew him like no one else in that room did.
She’d only heard rumors of the flippant, drunk man he had been before.
Only she and Samuel knew the hardworking, gentle, humble man he’d become as a servant.
Miriam arrived and met Lavender with a tight hug. “How are you faring?”
“I hardly know,” Lavender whispered. “I feel so useless, utterly incapable of being helpful to his cause.”
Samuel rushed past her. “He’s in there now?”
Lavender nodded as she watched the doors swing shut behind him.
“You have done more for that man than anyone on the entire face of the earth.” Miriam took Lavender’s arm.
“You brought him life and joy and purpose. I don’t know what will happen, but you certainly cannot blame yourself for not being useful.
Besides, Samuel is in there with him, now. He isn’t standing alone.”
Lavender nodded and took a deep breath. She and Miriam walked arm in arm in companionable and anxious silence. There wasn’t much to be said until someone came out of the building.
Miriam cleared her throat. “From what I understand, Lord Chilcott is presenting his evidence tonight to the house as well. His forged letter is supposedly from Thomas to a French spy. Samuel has taken in the copy Thomas stole from the baron’s library yesterday.”
“So everything is likely to be decided before they come out,” Lavender finished.
“Not precisely everything. I’m afraid Lord Chilcott has set tongues wagging about you as well.”
“Oh,” Lavender blinked a few times at the change of topic. She’d known that he meant to ruin her. Perhaps her future was ruined already. “What happened at Hyde Park today?”
“The most ridiculous thing, of course.” Miriam tossed a stray curl behind her back.
“He entertained an entire lawn full of people with claims that you’ve been using concentrated doses of Lavender to make him compliant to your wishes, that you are a dangerous woman who would stop at nothing to marry for advantage,” she fumed.
“Me? A dangerous woman?” Lavender mused at the idea. “I believe for the first time, Lord Chilcott is correct. He has no idea who he is dealing with. But to claim I have needed a substance to accomplish my aims—that is utter ridiculousness.”
“Well said!” Miriam beamed. “I do believe you are tired of being overlooked.”
Lavender tilted her head. “I don’t feel overlooked by those who matter to me. I have no desire for the attention of the masses—I much prefer the company of my books. But I don’t intend to allow him or anyone else to give me permission to claim the future I desire.”
“What about your father?”
Lavender raised her chin. “He would want me to stand up for myself and claim happiness. Even if it took time.”
Even if that meant Lavender had to wait for Thomas to serve time in prison. For the first time, Lavender’s mind roamed to the idea that Thomas could be convicted as guilty of his charges. It made her physically ill, and she found she needed to sit.
What if their time in the carriage was the last time she saw him? The last time she felt truly seen by someone? The last time she felt his lips on hers? How would she move forward with her life?
“Miriam, do you think we could sneak into the meeting?”
A mischievous smile spread across the duchess’s cheeks. “Of course we can. I dare someone to try to stop us.”
The two of them walked purposefully through the doors, flanked by pillars at each side. Miriam carried herself with dignity and purpose, nodding graciously to the servants they passed without question until they came to a large door flanked by two footmen.
“We would like to watch the proceedings,” Miriam said with authority ringing through her voice.
The two men looked at each other with a question in their eyes. “I don’t suppose you have a ticket?”
“No, I do not.”
Lavender stepped forward. “The duchess surely is above needing a ticket to visit the Stranger’s Gallery.”
The two footmen bobbed their heads in unison. “Of course. Please follow me.”
They were led to a crowded space of onlookers watching the proceedings of the meeting.
Lord Chilcott was standing, red in the face, pointing at Thomas.
“. . . know it took some time, but I have evidence that he helped harbor French spies under the reign of Napoleon.” He held up a paper. “See for yourself.”
Someone ran to grab the paper and took it to the Lord Chancellor.
The older man glanced over the paper and then held a second up beside it.
A dangerous quiet prevailed enough to hear the rustling of the paper.
He handed both sheets of paper to the gentleman sitting beside him and stood.
“This is the second copy of this correspondence that has been handed to me lately. The only difference therein is in a few of the letters.”
The quiet in the room lasted a handful of seconds before all chaos broke loose. The members of parliament all began talking to their neighbors at once, but one word seemed to come up time and again, heard above the tin: forgery.
The Lord Chancellor called them all to order, and after a minute or two, they finally settled. “Lord Chilcott, I presume you have an explanation for all of this.”
Lavender’s stomach twisted as she watched the man who’d been trying to ruin her stand from his seat.
“The letter I gave you was intercepted by Lord Fenleigh’s late steward.
After reading it and realizing the danger the duke was putting our country in, I felt it my duty to bring the evidence forward.
I only found it recently while going through my father’s journal tucked between the pages.
My only intent was to bring to light evidence in order to keep our king and the Prince Regent safe. ”
“And what of this other letter?”
Lord Chilcott shrugged his shoulders. “I have not seen it; I have no idea where it came from.”
The Lord Chancellor turned toward the opposite side of the room.
“Lord Fenleigh, what do you have to say to this?” Many of the gentlemen looked similar with their white wigs atop their heads, but Thomas wasn’t wearing his.
He stood tall and his broad shoulders pulled back in a dignified manner befitting his station.
How had Lavender been so convinced the man was a gardener these past months? He was built to be a leader.
Thomas cleared his throat and met the eyes of the peers in the room unflinchingly.
“I can only say this: I heard the rumors about my person, and I was tired of the dramatic gossip being thrown about by Lord Chilcott. I decided to take myself off for a time while everything was sorted out. I went home to Kent and abstained from drinking and shaving for a week. It was more difficult task than I expected it to be.” He chuckled uncomfortably, and a handful of men laughed along with him.
“But then, I came back here, to London, and found work disguised as a servant. I have been acting as a gardener for the Duke of Gilfordshire.”
“Outrageous!” someone called from down below.
Another man stood, and Lavender recognized him to be Samuel.
“I do hope you are not calling me outrageous. I was not fooled by His Grace’s disguise for a minute.
However, I did encourage the scheme. I told him if he lasted for two weeks in my employ, I would owe him a hat.
Our first stop in the morning will be at the haberdashery. ” He sat back down.
The room was filled with a pregnant pause.
It seemed no one knew quite what to do. It would be madness to accuse not only one but two dukes of deceit, especially when Lord Gilfordshire could pull a host of witnesses of Thomas’s whereabouts these past months.
Lavender felt her hands sweating beneath her long gloves.
He’d done what she’d asked: he’d spoken the truth.
She had to have faith that the peerage would see the folly of going forward with their accusations.
“Are there any remaining questions?” the Lord Chancellor asked the group.
Samuel stood once again. “Only one, My Lord: what is to be done about these falsified letters?”
Lord Chilcott jumped to his feet, yelling, “I did not falsify them!”
The Lord Chancellor squinted at the letters then back at Chilcott. “But they are falsified, that much is clear. So the question is, who, Chilcott, is your accomplice?”
It seemed as if all eyes turned toward Lord Chilcott. For the first time in Lavender’s memory, the man was bereft of words. He sat, ashen faced, and stared at Lord Gilfordshire in shock.
“Who is your accomplice, Lord Chilcott?” the Lord Chancellor asked.
Lord Chilcott regained his head and looked indignantly up at the Lord Chancellor. “I did not write those letters!” he yelled.
“Oh, I believe that. But I don’t believe you are innocent in their occurrence. It would be too convenient for you to have the dukedom you are set to inherit become vacant if the current Lord Fenleigh were to be tried as guilty of treason,” he answered.
“It was Lady Lavender Gardner.” Lord Chilcott spat out. “She has had me under her thumb for the entirety of her time in London.”
Thomas jumped from his chair. “How dare you—”
Samuel put a hand on Thomas’s shoulder and pushed him back to his seat.
“Oh,” Lord Chilcott chuckled. “Did you believe her to be a harmless chit while you were waiting on her, Fenleigh? She is no such thing. The woman is quite convincing when she wants to be,” he sneered.
Samuel stood. “Pardon me, Lord Chilcott. Are you questioning the Duchess of Gilfordshire and myself as proper chaperones for Lady Lavender? I can assure you, that when we were in your home a few days ago, it was none other than Lord Fenleigh who snuck into your library and found this second forged letter amongst a stack of them.” He looked around the room until the information seemed to sink in for all those listening.
“My mother and wife were there as well. Would you like for me to call them here to testify to what they saw? Or perhaps we ought to contact Miss Dalrymple, who was there as well.”
“Leave her out of this! You’ve been sneaking around my house!”
“Well, not me, but others have. They were concerned on a number of occasions about the way you’ve been manipulating Lady Lavender to make it seem as if she and you were courting.
It was a form of protection. Finding this incriminating evidence was quite by happenstance.
” Samuel sat down and crossed his legs as if the proceedings were boring.
Lavender could feel Thomas seething, but he took a lesson from his friend and leaned back in his seat.
This was not at all what Lavender had guessed would occur.
She didn’t know that Lord Chilcott intended to use her as his accomplice.
Or had he intended it? Likely not, as he didn’t set out on this course with the intent to be caught.
No, he was still protecting Miss Dalrymple.
Perhaps the man did have a bone in his body capable of feeling.
The Lord Chancellor handed the two papers to a clerk who ran them over to another man.
Lavender didn’t know what was happening, but she was not alone.
It seemed no one was willing to risk missing what would happen by speaking to their neighbors.
The only sounds in the room were the shifting of bodies.
The man with the papers whispered something into the clerk’s ear.
He strode back to the Lord Chancellor and relayed the message.
Nodding, the Lord Chancellor stood, and all eyes were directed to him.
“If these allegations bear any weight, they ought to be laid properly at the feet of His Majesty’s Ministers.
We will allow them to dictate our future course of action.
As for now, Lord Fenleigh, Lord Chilcott, you may await their visits. As will Miss Dalrymple.”
Samuel stood once again. “My Lords, I move that we adjourn the meeting.”
Thomas raised his hand. “I second the motion.”
The Lord Chancellor nodded his head. “Meeting adjourned.”