34. Chapter 34
Friday morning, Emma received two deliveries. One was from the jeweler. She and Lucy oohed and aahed over the counterfeit necklace Andrew had commissioned. It was just as beautiful as the real one.
“I am amazed. How do they make it so real?” Lucy asked, running a finger across the stones.
“The stones are made from a leaded glass and then polished and cut to shine like a real diamond. There is red foil applied to the back to give the stones the right color to pass as rubies. It’s only if you look closely that you can tell there is no depth to the color of the stone.
It is just reflecting the foil. You would be surprised how many women of the ton wear paste or glass jewelry,” Emma replied.
“Will it fool Uncle Charles?”
“Well, it will be dark, so it should be hard for him to tell the difference until he gets it home and under proper light. Once he figures out it is a fake, it will throw him into a panic about the auction. He will either have to try to sell the fake—and most likely get caught doing so by some very bad people—or he will have to come after the real one at Gilchrest House. That’s what we are betting on. ”
“What if he comes here after you?” Lucy’s eyes were wide with apprehension. “I remember all too clearly the angry way Charles shook me when he lost his temper that day.”
“The duke has insisted we all stay at Gilchrest House tonight. And for once, I am inclined to go along with his idea, even if it will cause gossip. Mrs. Fenway will walk the children over after we leave in the carriage, just in case Charles is watching the house.”
Lucy’s eyes widened at the thought Charles could be watching them.
Emma gave her sister a reassuring hug. “I’m sorry. I’m the cause for this mess. But I promise I am trying to fix my mistakes.”
“Emma, everyone deserves a second chance. You were led down the wrong path by Charles. He took advantage of you when you were most vulnerable after Father’s death. It will be all right. We’re here to help you.”
Emma’s eyes filled with tears at the forgiveness which Lucy gave out so freely. Lucy had grown into a wise young woman over the past four years, and Emma had only just noticed. She gave her sister another hug.
“Now, what could be in this second package? The box is enormous.” Lucy said.
They opened the lid, and Emma gasped in delight as she lifted out a beautiful cream silk evening gown. She held it up by the shoulders. The top of the bodice was trimmed in red ribbon, and it had a velvet overskirt richly embroidered with red roses.
“How exquisite!” Lucy exclaimed. Emma folded the dress back into the box. She picked up a card tucked inside.
I think this will go lovely with the necklace. Love, Andrew
“It’s from Andrew. He thinks of everything.”
Later that evening, Emma put on the gorgeous dress.
It fit perfectly. How he managed it, she didn’t know.
Red ribbons crisscrossed the bodice and tied in a bow, making her feel like a present waiting to be unwrapped.
Emma’s face heated at the thought. Perhaps that was exactly why Andrew chose the dress.
She slipped on a pair of ruby-colored slippers and finally the necklace.
It lay against her collarbone, a glittery reminder of the purpose for the evening.
Squaring her shoulders, she went in search of her sister.
The Duchess of Gilchrest met with her eldest son after dinner in her private sitting room.
He was dressed for the opera in a midnight-blue jacket and pants.
A sapphire cravat pin winked against its snowy-white background.
There was a nervous edge to his posture tonight, and she wondered what he had come to see her about.
“Thank you, Mother, for agreeing to have the Whittingham family stay with us. Their guardian has become very hostile and increasingly erratic of late. I am concerned about them living in the house alone with so little protection.”
“My dear, you hardly have to ask me for permission. This is your household. But I do appreciate that you are so considerate of my feelings. Why don’t you marry the girl already, and then she and her family would be under your protection?”
She studied her son, her firstborn, so tall and handsome standing in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back just like when he was a boy.
Why wasn’t he seizing happiness with this girl?
It was obvious he loved her. “I know your first marriage wasn’t a happy one, but that is no reason not to try again, especially now you are free to marry for love. ”
Andrew let out a short laugh and looked up at the ceiling. “It’s not that I am afraid, Mother. I swear. I have asked her to marry me twice! And she has turned me down twice.”
“What! That’s preposterous.”
“I think she loves me. I believe she has started to put her trust in me. I am helping her with this situation with her uncle, and then maybe she will finally feel free to accept my offer.”
“Well, if she doesn’t, you just let me have a talk with her. I will straighten her out.” She huffed indignantly. The girl was a fool!
“Thank you, Mother, for being such a fierce protector. Not everyone is as lucky as I. I love you.” He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I love you too.” She patted his cheek. “Now go on and have fun at the opera tonight. I will organize where to put all the children when they arrive.”
“Oh, and one more thing. Fergus will be arriving with the children.”
“Fergus?”
“Miss Whittingham’s Irish wolfhound.”
“Her what?” She put a hand to her heart. Did he just say wolfhound?
“Wherever Emma goes, so does Fergus.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Just wanted to give you fair warning.”
Emma sat with Lucy in the hired hack and watched the street corners roll by.
Charles’ note had arrived that afternoon.
It instructed Emma to rent a hack and said he would intercept it at some point en route to the opera to take possession of the necklace.
Lucy had insisted on coming with her; she refused to let Emma face Charles alone.
Both ladies had to grip the seat edges as the carriage came to a sudden halt. Loud male voices could be heard shouting. Then a great thump came from above where the driver sat. A moment later, the door swung open, and Charles stepped to the top step, dressed all in black.
“Good evening.” His smile turned to a frown. “I did not expect to see you, Lucy.”
Lucy didn’t reply. She reached out and took Emma’s hand in hers.
“What did you do to our driver, Uncle? We heard a commotion from the box,” Emma asked.
“He was quite angry when I ran out in front of his carriage. I tried to bribe him to turn a deaf ear, but he became quite adamant about not letting me get near his passengers. An unusually protective man, it seems. I was forced to knock him out.” Charles gave his heavy walking stick a small jiggle.
“Let’s make this quick before anyone comes walking by. Hand over the necklace.”
Emma reached up and unclasped the necklace with shaking hands.
She hoped Charles wouldn’t examine the necklace too closely.
Handing it over to him, she held her breath.
She needn’t have worried. Charles stuffed the necklace into his coat pocket without even giving it a second glance.
He tilted his head, considering her. Then, like a snake striking, he dealt her a backhanded blow.
Pain exploded in her cheek as her head snapped back.
She could taste blood from her lip where his ring had made contact.
Lucy cried out and scooted back into the far corner.
“That is for all the trouble you have caused me.” Then, reaching out, he took hold of the sleeve of her dress and yanked, ripping the material. “We must make it look like a real robbery. Now run along to your duke. I’m sure he will be appalled at the crime in the city, tut, tut.”
“How are we supposed to get there now that you have knocked out our driver?” Emma spat out. It took all her self-control not to launch herself at him in a fit of fury.
“Walk, of course. The opera house is only about a half a mile south of here.” He pointed his cane to the right. He stepped down and disappeared into the night.
“Oh my God, Emma, how badly did he hurt you?” Lucy slid next to her and, taking her chin, gently tilted her head to try and look at her cheek in the dim light from the moon.
“I’ll be all right,” Emma said, brushing her sister’s hand away.
She tore off her glove and gently probed the corner of her mouth.
Emma was incensed that she had let Charles hurt her again.
Her sister handed her a handkerchief. At least he hadn’t tried to hurt Lucy.
She would make sure he was locked up if it was the last thing she did.
“Let’s get walking. It will likely take us at least twenty minutes, and Andrew will be worried when we are late. ”
Andrew paced restlessly inside his box at the opera house.
They should have arrived by now, unless something had gone wrong.
He tapped Jack on the shoulder and nodded to the exit.
Jack returned his nod and settled back to watch the performance with Vivian and Caroline on either side of him.
Andrew quickly made his way outside to the front of the theatre and was pacing up and down when Emma and Lucy turned the corner, walking arm in arm.
He hurried toward them. “Why are you on foot? Where is your carriage?” He wrapped an arm around each lady and escorted them back to the front of the opera house. “Where are your wraps?”
Emma and Lucy exchanged a look of surprise, as though they hadn’t even noticed they weren’t wearing their wraps.
“I guess we left them in the carriage.” Emma’s voice wavered. “Andrew, I can’t go inside like this. Please take me home.”
It was then, in the brighter light spilling from the theatre’s entrance, that Andrew took in Emma’s torn dress and her face.
Dear God, her lip was cut and swollen. He reached out tenderly with two fingers to grasp her chin and get a better look.
Even in the dim light, he could see a bruise forming on her cheek.
Fury rose in his throat, and he choked out, “Oh, love, what did he do?”
Emma just shook her head. Her eyes shone with unshed tears, then she buried herself against his chest. Andrew looked over her head and saw Davenport was bounding down the stairs toward them. Ethan immediately grasped something had gone badly with the plan.
Turning to Lucy, he asked, “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
Lucy shook her head. “No, he wasn’t happy to see me there, but he only hurt Emma.” She looked as if she were struggling not to cry. “He said he needed to make the robbery look believable. He knocked out our driver.”
He and Davenport exchanged a look of mutual disgust. “Ethan, can you call for my carriage to be brought around? And have a note sent up to my brother telling him we had to take the ladies home.”
Ethan looked at Emma, curled up in his embrace, and then over at Lucy, who gave him a wobbly half smile. “I’ll be right back,” he said.
When the four of them arrived back at Gilchrest House, his mother was just coming down the main staircase. She took in their grim faces and Emma’s swollen lip in one sweeping glance.
“What happened?” She rushed over to Emma and examined her face. Emma tried to look away, embarrassed, but his mother had none of that. Her gaze rose to his. Her eyes flashed with anger. “Is this because of the uncle?”
“Yes,” Andrew replied. Emma’s head snapped up. He met her gaze. “I told my mother about how your guardian had become erratic and angry of late. That’s why I am having you all stay with me.” He leaned down to say quietly in her ear, “You should get used to it, people taking care of you, I mean.”
“Let me show you to your rooms, and we will clean up that cut.” His mother took Emma’s hand and motioned for Lucy to follow her up the stairs.
Emma’s fingers slid from his. It was difficult to let her go.
He wanted to be the one to tend to her hurts.
He reined in his impulse to grab her back from his mother.
Instead, Andrew turned to Davenport. “Let’s have a drink, shall we? ”