Chapter 17
Julian stood at the window and watched Rosalind and Theo leave.
He would rather they stayed in the house and not go anywhere, basically do as they were told, but it would make it look more suspicious if he forced them to stay.
Especially after the way he reacted to Rosalind saying she wanted to remain at Corrieden.
He hadn’t anticipated that. When he’d first suggested sending Rosalind and the boy to the Highlands to get away from London and make the most of an estate he hadn’t known about until the will reading, she’d been against it.
She just wanted to stay in their country estate, keeping away from the rest of Society.
Now just a few weeks after arriving and she was determined to stay.
Not what he planned. And Julian couldn’t see the fascination. The Highlands were pretty, but he couldn’t cope with it all the time. It was too far away from what he really wanted, which was the hustle and bustle of a city. Being in Inverness had been a relief. It was too quiet in Corrieden.
William had some strange tastes about what was good and what wasn’t.
As the group disappeared from sight, Julian headed upstairs to his suite of rooms. Even though he had a different idea of how his sister-in-law and nephew should be spending their time, having them out of the house would be useful while he looked over what he’d managed to snag.
Medford had kept it safe in a trunk at the foot of Julian’s bed, and it wouldn’t have been touched.
He just needed a quiet moment to look through what he wanted to find.
Medford was straightening up the room as Julian entered. He finished smoothing down the bed and stepped back, giving Julian a bow.
“My lord.”
“They’ve gone out.” Julian didn’t bother with the preamble. “Make sure I’m not disturbed, not for anything, unless it’s an emergency.”
“Of course.”
Medford left, closing the door softly behind him. Julian locked the door and then opened the trunk, finding the parcel inside.
William must’ve thought he was clever, hiding things from his brother and making it difficult to get any information.
But Julian was smarter. He could get around it, especially when he knew that his brother had confided in someone else.
A stranger to Julian, but someone who clearly knew he was up to something.
Ravensmuir was behaving like a protector.
Julian wasn’t going to stand for it.
At least he knew the man’s hand. Ravensmuir might’ve thought that he was clever, telling Julian that he’d been confided in and he knew to look out for him, but it just made Julian aware that he needed to be more sneaky.
And he was aware of the letter that the family solicitor held onto after William’s death, not wanting Julian to read it and saying he had his orders.
There was only so much before Julian gave up that way.
He just needed to wait, and it had worked.
Ravensmuir had sent off for the packet, and Julian had intercepted it.
All it took was paying someone to wait on the road and the receiving office for anything that came from London for Ravensmuir.
It had paid off, and the packet had been intercepted.
His alibi of being in Inverness had been ideal, and Julian had made the most of being in the city to stave off the boredom of the Highlands.
He really didn’t see the fascination.
Sitting on the bed, he laid the packet on the coverlet and opened it. It was small and slim, indicating that it was likely just a few letters. It seemed a bit much to put the letters in a parcel, but if they came from the same place, it would make sense to keep it all together.
All he’d needed to do was pay the clerk at the receiving office to let the man watching the road aware of what came in for the earl, and it was in Julian’s grasp.
At least the clerk didn’t ask any questions; he was more keen on the handsome payment he’d been given.
And it was easy enough to copy Ravensmuir’s signature, according to the clerk himself, so it would look like the earl took it away himself.
Nobody would be any the wiser.
And Julian would get what he needed to know.
William had been guarded against him for years, especially since he inherited the title.
It was frustrating that he couldn’t get what he wanted, and William had been wise to his actions.
The title was what Julian wanted. It came with everything else: the money, the lands, and the prestige.
As the younger brother, he’d be next in line to inherit if William died.
But then he had to get married and have a son.
Now Julian’s place as the next Viscount Ellingham was further away.
He couldn’t have that. Even after he spent a long time making sure nobody wanted to be associated with William by dropping hints on his nefarious activities and how he treated women.
It was the opposite of what his brother was like, but it had worked until Rosalind had come along.
She’d seen William for who he was, and she loved him regardless.
She was just as stubborn as her husband. And now he needed to deal with her as well.
Which was going to be tough with Ravensmuir around. That man was certain something was wrong, and he kept a close eye on Julian. He needed to get rid of the earl somehow. The fact he seemed to be sweet on Rosalind was disconcerting.
That had to be stopped.
Julian took out the top letter and opened it, careful not to break the seal completely. As he read through the letter, he knew that William had guessed right about him.
My dear friend Cormac,
If you’re reading this, then there’s a high chance I’m not here anymore. I don’t want it to come to this, but I’m fearful for my future. My little boy is my future, and I can’t bear for anything to happen to him. However, if my brother is still around, he’s never going to be safe.
Julian is a dangerous man. He’s greedy, and ambitious.
I’ve known for years that he wants the viscountcy, and that is all he desires.
Knowing he’s the younger brother is horrible for him, and he’s complained about it many times.
He wants to have the title immediately. I recall the day Theo was born.
He claimed he was happy, but I saw the fury in his eyes.
He knew his ability to inherit was getting pushed back.
I’m scared that he’s going to do something to Theo, and to Rosalind. My wife is smart, but she can also be too trusting. However, I don’t doubt her love for Theo, and she’ll protect him to the end. She needs someone to protect her, though, and it’s not something I can just trust on anyone.
I bought Corrieden in secret so she and Theo had a place to hide away in. Something to keep them safe and beyond Julian’s reach. He’ll likely find out about it, but by that time you’ll have this letter, and you’ll understand that he’s not to be anywhere near Rosalind and Theo.
If you’re getting this, then something’s happened to me.
I’ve likely ended up gone from this world, and it won’t be by fair means.
Julian has been plotting my demise for a long time, and I’ve managed to avoid it for now.
I can’t begin to count the amount of times he’s tried to harm me when we were children.
I believe the first time he tried to hurt me was when he was nine.
Our parents thought it was just boys playing roughly, and Julian was always stronger than me because I came away with the bruises and the bleeding scrapes.
I tried to protest that it wasn’t that, but he was very good at turning it around and making it sound like childhood fights and I was sore about losing.
Even after that age, I knew what he was up to.
My brother wanted me to die.
He’s tried to ruin everything for me over the years, including finding a wife for myself. He didn’t want me to have an heir, and any lady that showed interest in me quickly gave me a wide berth. I don’t know what he said about me, but I can imagine it wasn’t good.
Until Rosalind came along, I thought I would be unmarried and Julian would get what he wanted.
But she ignored him and saw the person I truly was.
I loved her more for it. I protected her as much as I could, and I did the same with my son.
Theo is the light of my life. If anything happens to him, I’d never forgive myself.
I’m entrusting you to look after them, Cormac. I know you’ll be able to protect them. If Julian gets close to them, something bad is going to happen. Don’t let that happen. Warn my wife and son what he’s up to, and show her this letter.
I have detailed everything about what happened, and when. Rosalind will believe it when she reads everything. I also want you to go to the proper authorities to investigate my death. With everything going on, I know it won’t be a natural death. Julian will have had something to do with it.
Whatever you do, don’t let my brother get away with it. You have to protect my family and make sure my brother hangs for what he did. My parents wouldn’t protect me before. In fact, nobody would listen. But I know you will. And Rosalind and Theo will be safe with you.
Do what you can. Just keep them safe and alive.
Your old friend, William Ellingham
Julian read the letter again, a myriad of emotions swirling around in his chest. He’d been subtle about how much he wanted William out of the way from the time they were younger, but his brother had figured it out pretty quickly.
He saw Julian’s motives, but their parents hadn’t believed him. That had worked in Julian’s favor.
Then again, he thought it said it started when Julian was nine.
It had actually happened four years earlier, when Julian purposefully pushed his brother into the lake.
If it hadn’t been for their sharp-eyed governess, William would’ve been dragged into the deep water by the pike that had been swimming in the lake itself.
The pike managed to get a bite in, but that was it.
Julian had known from a young age what he wanted. He’d had it drilled into him as soon as the age of three. And he saw how William was treated compared to him. He seemed to have better things, being groomed to become the next viscount. And Julian wanted it.
Some might call him dangerous, but Julian saw it as practical. He knew that he could do it just as well as his brother, if not better. He wanted it for himself.
And the only way to get it was to get rid of William.
The rest of the letters were, in fact, diary entries. They detailed everything William knew about Julian’s machinations over the last twenty years. Not all of them were there, but there were enough to make it look as if Julian had a vendetta.
Ravensmuir wasn’t going to find out about any of this. He wouldn’t be getting this packet.
The fire was not lit, so Julian laid it out and set it alight.
Once it was burning brightly, the flames jumping up toward the chimney, he began to feed the pages into the fire.
It was satisfying to see each of the pages turn black at the edge and curl up, turning into a sooty black ball before disintegrating.
Julian felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he continued to feed the pages into the flames.
Ravensmuir thought he had the upper hand, telling Julian that he was a friend and he knew to keep an eye on Rosalind and Theo, but he wouldn’t have any proof. He would look like a jealous potential suitor who was greedily grabbing for another title. Julian could easily spin it to the way he wanted.
A knock at the door made him growl. He didn’t want to be disturbed right now.
“What is it?” he snapped.
“My apologies, my lord,” Medford said on the other side. “But Sir Crispin is here. He said you were wishing to speak to him.”
Julian had almost forgotten about that. He tossed the rest of the pages into the fire, turning away as they began to crumble to fragments. He unlocked the door and opened it to find his valet on the other side.
“I’ll see him in the garden,” he said. “Let him know I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Medford hurried off, and Julian checked that everything was burning.
Then he went over to the window and looked out, seeing the bright blue sky and a few clouds drifting in the distance.
There was a cool breeze that wafted through the draughty windows, soothing after standing by the fire for so long.
He headed downstairs and passed Rivers the butler, who gave him a strange look before quickly averting his gaze. Julian ignored him, continuing down the hallway. The household staff would certainly need to be replaced when he finally became the viscount.
William would’ve made sure they were personally chosen, and the servants likely knew the situation, or were aware of some of it. He couldn’t have people who were suspicious of him serving him.
Sir Crispin Vane was on the terrace, pacing nervously on the cobbles.
Julian kept out of sight and watched him with a smirk.
When he knew he could use the older man to his advantage, it had been like a prize had been dropped in his lap.
The man was bad with gambling, and he knew Julian was more than aware of how big his debts were.
As a result, he wouldn’t be able to say no when he was summoned. He knew what he needed to do.
Julian stepped out onto the terrace and crossed to the man.
“Sir Crispin! Welcome to Corrieden!”
“Just tell me what you need of me,” Sir Crispin snapped, scowling at him. “I’m not here for pleasantries.”
Julian sighed and held up his hands in agreement. “All right. But you’ve still got a few things you need to do, and we can’t waste time.”
“You mean seducing the widow?”
“That’s a start. You know what happens once you do marry her and this estate is managed appropriately.” Julian smirked. “Then you get what you need.”
Sir Crispin shuffled from foot to foot. He was sweating profusely, his round face bright red and his clothes looking a little too strained on his large belly. He fumbled with a handkerchief and mopped his brow.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Ellingham.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s just… I’ve heard about Lady Ellingham. She’s not someone who can be taken in easily. And if she suspects something…”
“She’s not going to suspect anything. Trust me, she won’t realize what’s happening.
” Julian gave him a hard look. “She might be an intelligent woman, but she can be incredibly stupid. And this is what will wipe out all of your debts. Moreover, you gain a beautiful woman as a wife. What’s not to like about that? ”
Sir Crispin didn’t look happy about it, and he turned away.
But Julian knew he wasn’t going to argue.
He couldn’t afford to. He could ruin the man several times over, and he could end up in debtor’s prison for a long time.
Sir Crispin needed to do this to get what he wanted, which was to be debt free.
And Julian would get Rosalind out of the way, leaving him to deal with Theo. After that, it was all his.