A Reason to Rebel (22 page)

“And you think he has discovered something of such import that he is withholding it from your father until he is wed to one of his daughters?”

“Yes, I do. Father is not the only one with social ambitions. I remember the first occasion when Cowper came to Hampshire and saw my sisters. Estelle was sixteen at the time and he was totally transfixed. He could not take his eyes from her.”

“I had forgotten about that.” Estelle shuddered. “The way he would not stop looking at me made me very uncomfortable and in the end I left the room.”

“But you think whatever he is using to play your father at his own game came too late for him to claim Estelle. She was married to Travis by then.”

“Yes, but I also think he wanted to claim what he considered to be his rightful place as my father’s heir. Given that I had flown the coop, by marrying Marianne he would achieve that objective. I had enough dealings with the man to appreciate the way he thinks. He has a high opinion of himself and would consider that he had behaved much better than me and therefore deserved to be rewarded.”

“Father said that if I married him he would make me his sole heir,” Estelle said.

“Which is the same thing as making Cowper his heir,” said Alex, “since your property would automatically become your husband’s.”

“Yes, it would.”

“You think your father was so desperate for Cowper’s discovery, Winthrop, that he would sacrifice one of his girls and also agree to change his will in order to obtain it?”

“Yes, that is precisely what I think.”

“I wonder what it can be.” Marianne frowned.

Alex ignored the interruption. “Your father was desperate to replenish his funds and knew of Cowper’s preference for Mrs. Travis. And so when Miss Winthrop ran away, the two of them revived their plan to have her husband done away with.”

“It is possible, although I hesitate to think so badly of Papa.” Estelle appeared genuinely distressed. “But I do not see how we can prove it.”

“We cannot, unless we can trick Cowper into admitting it.”

“Then it is hopeless.”

“Not necessarily.” Alex rubbed his chin. “There might be a way.”

“How?” asked four voices in unison.

“Ah, but no, if Cowper is in Leeds, then it will be impossible to arrange.”

“He is not,” Estelle said.

“How do you know?”

“Because when Father came to see me, he said that Mr. Cowper would be in London for several weeks. When I was reconciled to the idea of our union he was to invite him to the house to seal the agreement.”

“Yuck!” Marianne pulled a face.

“Do you know where he resides when he is in London?”

“Yes,” said Matthew. “He keeps permanent rooms in a house in New Market Street, convenient for Father’s timber yard in Wapping.”

“And do you suppose that is where he will be now if he is in London?”

“Most assuredly. And there is a tavern on the corner of the street which he visits at the end of each day. He is a creature of habit and his routine in that respect seldom varies.”

“Good, that will serve our purpose well. All right, Porter, this is what I have in mind. In order to find out what Winthrop wants from him so badly, it will be necessary to draw Cowper out. And the best way to do that, I think, would be to set them against one another.”

“How can that be achieved?”

Alex waved a hand at Estelle and she was immediately silent. “I suspect that whatever Cowper has, it is too detailed and too important to commit to memory, which means—”

“Which means he must have it written down somewhere,” said Estelle.

“Exactly! And so all we have to do is figure out where.”

“Can we not get into his rooms when he is not there and look for it?” Matthew perked up considerably at the prospect.

“I doubt that it is concealed there.” Alex stood and looked out of the window, hands clasped behind his back. “If I were him I would either keep something that precious on my person at all times or, knowing how dangerous the areas he frequents can be, somewhere else that only he knows about.”

“That is plausible,” conceded Estelle.

“Porter, you have already done more than could be reasonably expected of one man for the sake of Miss Winthrop. However, if my plan is to succeed, I must ask you to consider doing yet more.”

“Anything.”

“Do not commit yourself until you have heard me out. My scheme is not without risk to your professional position, but that position is the reason we need you to carry it out. Were it otherwise, I would do it myself.”

To an accompaniment of gasps of astonishment from his audience, Alex laid out his plan.

“But you cannot ask Mr. Porter to do that for the sake of my family,” said Estelle.

“Do not forget that it will soon be my family too, Mrs. Travis. Besides, I would have this matter resolved for the sake of my future wife’s peace of mind.” He turned towards Alex, his expression resolute. “You can depend upon me, my lord, I will not fail you.”

“I understand your concerns for Marianne.” Estelle’s eyes rested upon her sister’s face. “But if you were to be caught in the deception, it would assuredly cost you your position at Nesbit’s. You would not then be able to complete your articles and how would you support a wife?”

“If the deception is discovered I shall intercede,” said Alex, “and assure Nesbit that Porter was acting under my direct and precise instructions.”

“Well…I suppose—”

“You will have your part to play as well, m’dear.”

“How so?”

“I doubt that Cowper will take your word that you are employed at Nesbit’s, Porter. Or for any part of your story, come to that, and will want to see for himself that you are who you say you are.”

“And so he will call at the office on some pretext to make sure I am there.” Porter appeared unperturbed at the prospect.

“That is my anticipation. But even that will not convince him that you are privy to the information you claim to be. Do not forget that he is vastly loyal to Winthrop, looks upon him as a father figure and trusts him implicitly. That is why you will let slip that Mrs. Travis is due to call at your office at eleven on the following morning to sign the papers her father has prepared for her.”

“You anticipate that he will come to Ramsgate and keep watch to see if I really do call?” Alex nodded. “And when I arrive he will have to believe Mr. Porter’s account, or at the very least entertain severe doubts as to my father’s true intentions.” Estelle smiled widely and clapped her hands in delight. “That is brilliant, Alex!”

“Thank you,” he responded, valiantly attempting to suppress his amusement.

“And when he is convinced you are telling the truth, his first reaction will be to recover his hidden papers, or at least check that they are still in place,” said Matthew. “Then he will confront my father.”

“That is my expectation.”

“But I do not see how that will help our cause.” Estelle frowned. “Unless we are a party to that confrontation.”

“Precisely.”

“But how can you know when and where Mr. Cowper will have it out with Papa?”

“You have hit upon our difficulty.” Alex flashed a brief smile at Estelle. “And so we shall have to keep Cowper in sight at all times and adapt our plan in accordance with the direction of the wind.”

“That sounds rather nebulous.”

“The best plans often are.”

“You can rely upon my cooperation,” said Porter. “When do we start?”

“Tomorrow morning I will call to see Nesbit and inform him I require the services of his clerk for the rest of the day.”

“Will he not require to know your business?” asked Estelle.

“No, he will readily acquiesce.” Alex did not consider it necessary to say that his title would open that and many other doors. Nesbit would not presume to ask any awkward questions for fear of displeasing his aristocratic client. “That way, should our plan fail, the responsibility for Porter’s actions will be mine, and I shall make it my business to square things with his employer.”

“You look all done in, Matthew,” said Estelle. “I believe we have worn you out with all our planning. We ought to leave you to rest.”

“Nonsense! It has done me the power of good to see you, I never felt more rejuvenated.” But his dropping eyelids told a different story. “I only wish there was more I could do to help.” He fisted his hands in frustration. “Damn this fever!”

“There is one way you could make yourself useful, if you have a mind to,” Alex said, anxious to ensure that Estelle’s brother felt both involved and committed to the scheme.

“Name it.”

“Well, you could keep your sisters entertained tomorrow whilst Porter and I are otherwise engaged.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “You don’t ask much of a chap.”

“We do not need a chaperone,” Estelle protested.

Alex grinned and rose to his feet. “I was not for one moment suggesting that you do. I am merely being cautious. Your father will not have given you up and will still be actively searching for you. I do not think we were followed here but I am not about to underestimate the man and would feel better if I knew you were out of public view.”

“Well, of course, Estelle must stay here with me tonight,” said Marianne. “She can share my chamber and we will talk and laugh all night long. It will be quite like old times. But as to you, my lord, well…we only have—”

“No, Miss Winthrop, pray do not concern yourself on my account. Mrs. Travis and I have accommodation at the Albion in Broadstairs.” Alex ignored the renewed speculative glances being exchanged between Estelle’s relatives. “We shall return there now and I shall deliver Mrs. Travis to your care—” he nodded at Matthew, “—in the morning. Come.” He extended a hand towards Estelle. “It is getting late and we ought to be gone.”

Chapter Fourteen

The roads were choked with gigs, pony carts, wagons, and lads astride sturdy farm horses, all headed for the fair. Passage was slow and Alex was concentrating much of his attention upon his team to avoid a collision. Estelle was preoccupied and met his efforts to engage her in conversation with monosyllabic responses. She was delighted to be reunited with her siblings again and deep in thought about the revelations that had just been made.

They reached their destination before it occurred to her that Alex had smoothly taken control of matters—again. He had formulated a plan to uncover her father’s nefarious activities. But that plan depended upon his participation for its success, since he was relying upon his social standing to absolve Porter from blame should something unforeseen cause them to fail. A gentleman of his elevated status deliberately inveigling himself in her affairs begged the obvious question. Why? She could not begin to imagine why, but fully intended to extract a satisfactory explanation from his lordship at the first opportunity.

Only half listening as he gave orders for supper to be served immediately, Estelle mounted the stairs and entered their chamber ahead of Alex, who held the door open for her.

“I have been thinking.” She removed her gloves and bonnet and placed them on a table.

“So I apprehend, since you have barely spoken a word since leaving Porter’s residence.” He offered her a curling smile of such luminance as to temporarily send her thoughts on a sensual detour. “Have I done ought to offend you?”

“Not at all.”

“Then perhaps you would care to share your thoughts with me?”

“With the greatest of pleasure. I thank you for being so willing to involve yourself in my family’s affairs. However, upon reflection I am persuaded there is no necessity for you or Mr. Porter to inconvenience yourselves and that matters ought to be left as they are.”

“I think Porter would give you an argument if you tried to stop him fighting on Marianne’s behalf. In fact, he is already relishing the idea of besting your father and showing himself in an even more gratifying light to your sister.”

“You approve of him then.” She could not say why his opinion should matter to her but only knew that it did.

“I do indeed.”

“I feel the same way. I approved when I first met him in my husband’s house and nothing I saw today has changed that opinion.”