Chapter 26
“What are you going to do?” Hamish asked, his gaze meeting Cormac’s in the reflection of the mirror as Cormac checked that he looked presentable.
“I’m going to confront him.”
“With papers taken from his study? Nobody will listen once Ellingham makes a lot of noise about the fact someone broke into his house and stole some papers.”
“Who’s going to admit that a debt agreement was stolen when it’s as nefarious as the one we’re talking about?”
“We both know how smooth Ellingham is.”
Cormac was perfectly aware of it. But he needed to do something. He had to confront Ellingham. If he created enough of a stink about the situation, then there had to be a lot of questions.
It was the only thing he could think of right now. Cormac had tried to think up other solutions, and had spent the day going around London talking to people who knew Ellingham.
He managed to find plenty of gentlemen, and a few ladies, who owed debts to Ellingham himself, and many of them were desperate as the debt was too great but they couldn’t get out of it.
The general consensus was they were scared of him.
Ellingham looked like the laid back, calm individual portrayed in public, but the private man was terrifying.
They wanted to get out of the situation they were stuck in, but no one was brave enough to speak out. They just wanted to carry on as normal, deciding it was the lesser evil. Even if they were going to be in Ellingham’s debt for years.
Cormac couldn’t get to him that way. And he doubted anyone would look at someone who kept debts recorded over a card game or any sort of gambling, even if it was illegal.
He had to focus on William’s death. Cormac was certain it was murder, and he had to prove it. There had been three people at the accident that night, and one was dead, one was maimed and didn’t recall what happened, and the third was missing.
They needed to find the coachman. Hamish and Bea had been doing that all day, looking over leads and traveling everywhere to see what they could find. From what Hamish said, they had a potential lead, but they couldn’t be sure as it was so tenuous. Cormac could see that his friend was losing hope.
They couldn’t do that. They had to find the man. If he’d been paid off, then that would be enough. But if he refused to talk…
“Cormac?”
“Hmm?” He turned. “What?”
“How do you think we’re going to get anything on Ellingham? Once the engagement is announced, we’re going to have a hard time breaking it. Unless we break Sir Crispin himself.”
Cormac grunted. He certainly wanted to break the man, but that wouldn’t work. Not with what Rosalind had said about him.
“He’s that desperate to get out of his debt that he’ll go through with the arrangement. Even if he doesn’t want to have Rosalind.”
“Wouldn’t he take it if he saw a chance to get out of the agreement?”
“Doubtful. Ellingham really has a proper hold on him. Just like everyone else he is owed.” Cormac brushed himself down and crossed his bedchamber to the door. “If we find something, we need to grab onto it. And we’ve barely got any time.”
“What if we don’t get it tonight?” Hamish demanded. “I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I know that is a possibility.”
“Then we’d better make Rosalind know that we’re there and we’re not going anywhere.”
As far as Cormac was concerned, he wasn’t going away. He would always be there for Rosalind. Ellingham might try to keep them separated, but he couldn’t do that. Not when Cormac wanted to protect the woman he loved.
He’d almost told her when they were in the park the day before. He’d almost confessed his own feelings. But he stopped himself, knowing that he had to hold onto that. Rosalind and Theo’s safety was more important than his feelings.
And he wanted to get them away from Ellingham first. Plus, he wanted to get under the man’s skin. Just to tell him he wasn’t leaving.
Cormac wasn’t about to be intimidated.
Leaving Hamish at the house, he took his carriage to Ellingham’s townhouse and managed to get inside without anyone noticing.
He hadn’t been invited, but there were plenty of guests around.
He guessed Ellingham wouldn’t cause a scene in front of so many people, and then he would be able to keep close to Rosalind.
He would do anything possible to protect her.
“What are you doing here?”
He turned. Ellingham was stalking toward him from the drawing room, his eyes narrowed and a clearly displeased look on his face. Cormac braced himself, ready for a verbal joust.
“I’m here as a friend of Lady Ellingham’s.”
“But I didn’t invite you.”
“Her thoughts and opinions matter more.”
Ellingham scowled, standing a little close to Cormac. He was tall, but not as tall as Cormac, so it was almost comical. Cormac had to fight back the urge to laugh.
“I want you out of here,” Ellingham hissed. “You’re not welcome here. I don’t…”
“Cormac!”
The sound of Theo calling made Cormac immediately turn around. The little boy was running down the stairs toward him. He practically leaped off the stairs, and Cormac had to hurry forward to catch him.
“Careful there!” He laughed, propping the boy on his hip. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you carry on like that.”
“I missed you!” Theo declared. “Can we play chase again?”
“Theo,” Ellingham warned. “You’re supposed to be in your room, not down here bothering the guests.”
Then he seemed to realize that he’d said the wrong thing when Cormac arched an eyebrow at him. The scowl deepened, but Theo didn’t seem to notice. Then Arabella hurried down the stairs, looking slightly flustered.
“Forgive me, my lord,” she said hurriedly, looking scared as she glanced at Ellingham. “He ran off before I knew what he was doing.”
“Just get him back upstairs,” Ellingham snapped. “Children are not welcome tonight.”
“What’s going on?”
Cormac’s heart pounded when he heard Rosalind’s voice.
She left the drawing room, along with a woman with silver hair who looked very elegant in a dark blue gown.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Cormac, and then he saw the pleasure and relief in her face.
That warmed his heart, knowing that he could make her react like that.
“Your son is just forgetting that he’s not meant to be down here,” Ellingham said grumpily, glaring at Cormac. “And Lord Ravensmuir was just leaving.”
“No!” Theo cried, flinging his arms around Cormac’s neck. The silver-haired woman joined Rosalind and peered at Cormac curiously.
“So you’re the Earl of Ravensmuir I’ve heard about,” she said, her voice smooth and cultured with a hint of an Irish accent. “Lady Ellingham’s been talking about how kind you were when she was living up north.”
“I…” Cormac cleared his throat. “I would do that for any neighbor, ma’am. I mean…”
Rosalind’s mouth twitched, and she glanced away. What did she mean by that reaction? The older woman moved toward him.
“I’m Lady Magdalena Linette. My husband is Lord Barkwood.”
Cormac straightened up.
“I know of him. He’s one of the wealthiest landowners in Ireland, isn’t he?”
Lady Barkwood smiled.
“That he is. And Lady Ellingham’s been talking about how you’ve been so kind to her. We’re going to be visiting Scotland later this year. I’d like to know more about your homeland.”
“Of course.” Cormac glanced at Ellingham. “If Lord Ellingham doesn’t mind? I think Lady Barkwood wants to steal me away.”
He could see the angry look being directed at him, but he ignored it. It was not going to be good for Ellingham to refuse and force him out when there were witnesses. Ellingham needed people on his side. Putting Theo down, he gently pushed the boy toward Arabella while ruffling his hair.
“Go on, little man. You go and be good.”
Theo pouted, but he went back up the stairs with Arabella, looking back and smiling at him. Cormac smiled back. The child was an innocent in all of this, and he was caught in the middle of the mess Ellingham had created.
And from the way Ellingham behaved, he didn’t care about it.
“Lord Ravensmuir!”
Cormac froze when he heard a familiar voice. Ottoline was walking toward him wearing a beaming smile. Ellingham turned away, but Cormac saw a smirk flash across his face. This might not have been planned, but he was going to use Ottoline to his advantage.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here!” Ottoline slipped her arm through his, looking happy at his presence. “Who knew that you would cross England all the way from Scotland for me? I think that’s saying something about you, don’t you think?”
Lady Barkwood coughed. “I don’t think he’s here for you, my dear.”
“What?”
The older woman beckoned Cormac to follow her.
“Come with me, my lord. You can tell me the stories you’ve told Lady Ellingham about the Highlands. It sounds like a fascinating place to be.”
“It certainly is,” Cormac agreed. At least Lady Barkwood understood what was going on. Maybe he had another ally.
As she went back into the drawing room with Rosalind, he turned to Ottoline, whose smile was flickering a little.
“What did she mean by that?” she asked. “Does she not think that your love is true?”
“I don’t have any love for you, Ottoline.”
“What?”
He withdrew his arm and stepped away from her, leaving her staring at him with an open mouth.
“Why I’m here is none of your business. And I would appreciate that you left me alone. I don’t have time to talk to you about whatever interests you. Because, quite frankly, it’s not interesting.”
Giving her a sharp bow, aware that Ellingham was staring at him in stunned amazement as well, Cormac hurried into the drawing room. He didn’t need to guess that he was treading on thin ice and he needed to be careful; it wouldn’t be above Ellingham to find a way to get rid of him.
But it had been very satisfying to knock Ottoline back. He was harsher than he should’ve been in the current situation, but he wasn’t in the mood to deal with her not understanding the meaning behind his words. He needed her to keep away from him.
Lady Barkwood and Rosalind were sitting by the window, the candles flickering as the various guests milled around.
There seemed to be more people than there should be in the room, and Cormac almost immediately felt as if everything was pressing in on him.
He ignored the tightness in his chest and made his way to Rosalind.
Lady Barkwood turned her warm smile to him and stood up as soon as Cormac sat down.
“I think I need to make a visit somewhere. I’m not as young as I used to be, and it’s rather hot in here.” She touched Rosalind’s hand. “Make the most of this time, my dear.”
Cormac stared at her as she walked away, the skirt swishing about her long legs. He turned to Rosalind.
“What was that all about?”
“I was talking to her when I saw you out of the window. I have a feeling she suspected there was something.” Rosalind shook her head. “I never said a word. From the way Lady Barkwood behaved, I didn’t need to.”
Cormac knew he liked Lady Barkwood and they were barely acquainted. He decided he would return the favor at some point. He looked around, noticing that while there were lots of people, nobody was paying them any attention.
Not even Sir Crispin, who was hovering by the drinks cabinet at the far end of the room. He was drinking, a lot; he barely finished one drink before reaching for another. A footman hovered near him as if he was worried about the man keeling over.
“It looks like she’s giving you more attention than Sir Crispin,” he said dryly.
“He’s barely looked at me. He arrived first already drunk, and he flinches away from me whenever he sees me.” Rosalind’s jaw tightened. “I hate this. I want to get away and say no more, but I can’t.”
“I could help.”
“But something could happen to Theo.” She bit her lip. “I know something will happen. Julian promised as such, although not in so many words.”
Cormac stilled. “He would hurt a child to get what he wants?”
“Anything to get what he wants. I don’t want to call his bluff.” She shivered. “I’m scared. The announcement is going to happen after dinner, and I can’t go through with it. But Theo… I can’t…”
He knew he was going against the social etiquette, but he didn’t care, nor did he care who was listening. He put his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers.
“You’re not alone,” he murmured. “I’m not going anywhere. You’ve got me to protect you.”
“But…”
“Whatever happens, I’m going to get you out of this. I promise.” He looked at her, seeing the tears in her eyes. “You’ve got me on your side. And I’m going to make sure that Ellingham gets what he deserves.”
She stared at him, and a tear trickled down her cheek. She didn’t seem to notice that it was happening. Cormac reached up and brushed the tear away with his thumb. Then he stroked her cheek, feeling the warm and soft skin under his touch.
“I’m not going to let this marriage happen,” he whispered. “Trust me.”
“I do.” Rosalind sniffed and glanced over his shoulder. “Someone’s going to notice you.”
He smiled. “I don’t care.”
It would cause an uproar if someone noticed that he was touching and caressing a woman who wasn’t his wife and who was engaged to someone else, but Cormac couldn’t stop himself. And Rosalind wasn’t stopping him. Almost as if she wanted to get caught.
That couldn’t be right. And yet…
A movement outside the window got his attention, and he could see Hamish in the street. He was outside the townhouse opposite, staring at the house as he hovered under a gaslight.
That had to mean something. Cormac just knew it. Hamish had said he was going to keep looking for someone who could tip Ellingham over the edge and break him. Had he managed that?
“What is it?” Rosalind looked out of the window. “Is that Hamish?”
“I’ll go and see him shortly. I’ll wait until Lady Barkwood comes back.” Cormac slowly withdrew his hand, wishing he didn’t have to. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I don’t feel alone when I know you’re around.” She gave him a tiny smile. “I feel better when you’re there.”
That made Cormac feel warmer than he’d felt in a long time.