Always Have Hope (Emerson Book 3) (19 page)

Rosalind had asked Win and the Emersons to join the
Kellingtons for tea. Win was looking out the window in the lovely sitting
room, marveling at how there could be ordinary moments in such extraordinary
times. She wished Mr. Lewis could be there with her.

“That’s what I like to see,” said Rose, as she joined
her sister at the window. “Your lovely smile has been absent from my life for
much too long.”

Win put her arm around her sister’s waist. “It is
hard not to smile when surrounded by my beloved family.”

“But is it truly your family that gives your
countenance such a lovely glow? Or is it, perhaps, a handsome barrister?”

Win’s blush must have spoken volumes, if Rose’s
answering grin was any indication. “I like your Mr. Lewis very much,” she said.
“Colin and James have done an excellent job of bringing home lovely wives. I
should like to have a clever brother join the family – especially one who cares
so much about you.”

Win couldn’t help but be warmed by the thought. “Why
do you think he cares about me?”

“You’re not in Newgate, are you?”

“He is simply a gentleman who doesn’t want to see a
miscarriage of justice.”

“He is also a gentleman in love. I see how he looks
at you. I know what he did for you. The only question is whether you have
feelings for him, though I believe your smile has already given me the answer.”

Before Win could respond, they were joined by Colin
and James.

“This is a sight I have longed to see,” said Colin.

“And one I pray we see more often,” said James. “In
fact…”

They were interrupted by the boisterous arrival of
Violet, Letty and Anna, who bounded into the room, just as tea was about to be
underway. As soon as the girls arrived, Violet sought out her mother, who was
on the settee talking to Ava and Irene. Violet sat next to Jane, who put her
arm around the girl and hugged her. Anna sat next to Irene and beamed at her.
Irene pulled her close, as happy to see Anna as the girl was to be with her.

Only Letty remained standing, staring wistfully at the
two girls chatting happily with their mamas. Win’s heart lurched. Her
youngest sister had been denied so much.

But then Ava held out her arms. “Letty, dear, my arms
are empty without you. Please tell me what the three of you have been doing
all day. I daresay I will be quite envious when I hear about all the fun.”

Letty’s face lit up as she sat next to Ava and let
herself be enveloped into the type of hug she’d always been denied by her real
mother. Win reveled in the sight of the two of them together.

“You chose well, brother,” Win said to Colin.

“He truly did,” said Rose. “She is as warm and caring
as Mother was cold and neglectful. And I thank God every day that he married
for love instead of money.”

“As selfish as it is to admit, I am glad, as well,” said
Colin. “And James had the unenviable task of searching for a woman who could
actually abide him, though he was helped a great deal by having such a
wonderful daughter as inducement.”

“You were quite fortunate yourself,” said James.
“Though it’s too bad you had to saddle the poor lady with the title of Countess
of Ridgeway.”

“It isn’t the best legacy,” said Colin with a laugh.
“But she is redeeming the title, as much as is possible.”

Win knew her brothers were only teasing each other,
but she turned to both of them now – humor far from her mind. “The two of you
and Nick are the most honorable men I know. I like Ava and Irene very much,
but they are very fortunate to have you. We all are.”

There was a moment of quiet reflection. Her brothers
were self-effacing men. She suspected the compliments were difficult for them
to accept.

Then Colin spoke up. Win expected a clever rejoinder.

But instead he said, “Love, none of us will be truly
fortunate until you are a free woman. We cannot be happy until you are with us
once again.”

If Rosalind hadn’t chosen that moment to call them
over to tea, there would have been four sobbing Emersons.

*

After tea, Mrs. Rigg and Mrs. Stemple came to collect
the three girls, who were anxious to continue their training of Violet’s dog
Merry Man, who gladly did anything for the reward of a little steak.

Once the girls had left, it became apparent there was
a reason for the gathering. Each adult member of the Kellington family was
there. Arthur and his wife Vanessa had arrived only that morning. Their
sister Lizzie and her husband Marcus were there, as well as the family’s
maternal aunt Prudence, along with her companion, Miss Mariah. Heskiss
remained in the room, but all the other servants had been dismissed.

Liam cleared his throat before speaking. “From what
we have learned, it appears that Win will not receive a fair trial. There is obviously
a conspiracy afoot and it is possible she will pay for that with her life.”

The sitting room was silent and still. Not one person
refuted the possibility.

The duke turned to Win. “I know Mr. Lewis is working
on a plan to free you. But we must come up with an alternate one in case he
does not succeed.”

Win was touched by his offer, knowing he’d be held
responsible for her absence if she left the country. “Your offer means more to
me than you can possibly know. But I cannot allow you to be punished for my actions.”

Liam shook his head, and Win saw the gesture echoed
among the other Kellingtons. “I do not care about any punitive actions the court
could take. I will not see you convicted. And I speak for the entire
Kellington family when I say that.”

“They would impugn your honor. I cannot allow it.”

“Not a person in this room would think I behaved
dishonorably. That is all that matters.”

“Win,” said Colin. “I think you should take Liam up
on his generous offer.”

She smiled wanly at him. “I cannot do that to him or
any of you. While I recognize that having a sister who is a convicted murderer
will hardly be any less shameful than having one who ran away, at least you
could distance yourself from me. If I were to run, you would always be
suspected of harboring a fugitive. No. I cannot do it.”

“We will always stand with you,” said Nick. “We will
always be proud to call your our sister. Indeed, none of this would have come
to pass if we’d done our duty as brothers. We should have removed you from that
house. Or, even killed the monster ourselves.”

“Please, Win,” said Rose. “Please go to safety. I’ll
accompany you.”

With tears in her eyes, Win shook her head.

“Then I think,” said Aunt Prue, “that it is time to
speak of the past. It is a story which has never been told in its entirety
before today. My own niece and nephews don’t know it. It is an event which
occurred a quarter of a century ago, though its repercussions are still felt
today.

“At the end of the last century, I was a young woman
and my beloved sister Anne was married to the former duke, Michael. They had
three children and she was about to give birth to a fourth. We were all at
Lynwood Manor in Hertfordshire for her confinement and I’d just made Mariah’s
acquaintance. She was betrothed to a man in the next county.” She paused to
take a deep breath and Win noticed that Mariah looked rather pale. “The first
time I met Mariah, her betrothed, Mr. Stevens, had just broken her nose, though
at the time she said she’d tripped and hit her head in the stables. Two months
later he broke her jaw. She tried to run away from him but when Stevens found
her, he beat her so severely the surgeon believed she would lose sight in her
left eye. Fortunately, my sister and her good husband agreed to take my friend
in.

“Michael went to talk to the brute. He said Mariah
had changed her mind and was breaking the betrothal. Stevens laughed at the
duke, saying he’d bought Mariah from her father and was going to marry her,
regardless of whether she changed her mind. The way he saw it, her wishes
didn’t matter. He owned her. Or he would as soon as they were wed. Michael
offered to pay to end the betrothal, but Stevens refused. He laughed, then let
the duke in on a secret. He said he liked hurting women. He’d done so to his
first two wives. And he looked forward to beating a third.

“Stevens’s first wife had died in childbirth, which
had been brought on by a beating he’d given her while she was six months
pregnant. His second wife had killed herself to get away from the beatings.
Stevens declared he wouldn’t give Mariah the chance to deny him the experience
he’d only previously had with animals. He bragged to the duke about how he was
going to kill Mariah and there was nothing anyone could do about it.”

Miss Prudence had to stop for a moment to compose
herself. She had the attention of everyone in the room. It was obvious most
of the Kellingtons had never heard this story before. Win’s heart went out to
Mariah, a quiet, gentle woman who looked like she was about to be ill.

Prue continued. “Michael challenged him to a duel. He
told Stevens he would meet him at dawn two days hence to end his life.

“My sister was beside herself when she heard. She’d
been appalled, of course, to hear Stevens’s plans. But her solution had been
to spirit Mariah out of the country. However, the duke had calmly explained
that Stevens was responsible for two deaths and had confessed to plans for a
murder. Plans that Lynwood had no doubt would be carried out. There would be
no punishment, just as there had not been for the deaths of his first two wives,
as well as the babe. Stevens would stage Mariah’s death in such a way as to
give the authorities doubt of his guilt. They would never convict a peer when
there was the possibility he was innocent. Well, the old duke – much like the
current one – had a deep respect for justice. He would not allow another woman
to be killed. And the only way to stop that was by taking Stevens’s life.
Michael didn’t believe he could do nothing and still be an honorable man.

“My sister realized she would never win an argument
about her husband’s honor. But they had two days to say their good-byes and
make preparations for any eventualities.

“I believe the rest of this story is Henry’s to tell.”

Hal, who – like all the Kellingtons – had been part of
the rapt audience, shook his head. “What do I know of it? This is the first
time I’ve heard any of it.”

“I wasn’t asking you, love,” said Prue. “I was
referring to your namesake.”

“I thought I was named for Henry VIII.”

Prue smiled. “No, dearest. They only let you believe
that because your true namesake was too modest. What say you, Henry? Is it
time to confess?”

She turned to the longtime Kellington butler, Henry Heskiss.

Who looked most uneasy.

“I cannot betray his grace, Miss Prudence. Loyalty
extends beyond one’s passing.”

“No one could ever accuse you of being disloyal, Henry.
And unless I miss my mark, I believe the family wants to hear the rest. They
deserve the truth. And this young woman’s life lies in the balance.”

“Please,” said Liam. “Please tell us…Henry.”

Heskiss nodded slowly. The butler, who was the odd
combination of dignified but warm, looked like he wished to bolt from the
room. He was perhaps in his early sixties, but still spry. It was obvious he
was well liked – well loved – by the Kellingtons. Yet, he still seemed nervous
to tell his story.

He finally began. “Her grace was beside herself with
worry, which was alarming since she was with child. That was his grace’s greatest
concern – how his death would affect his wife and children. He loved her and
the rest of you dearly and he hated to think of missing a life with you. On
the eve of the duel, he said good-night to the children, then they retired
early, closing themselves up in the duke’s suite. I wasn’t sure if her grace
would allow him to leave the next morning. But an hour before dawn, he came
downstairs alone, looking grim. I didn’t need to ask if he still intended to
go through with the duel. I was certain her grace had already asked that
question numerous times.

“He and I rode out to the appointed place in a cart.
Stevens arrived shortly after we did, a smug smile on his face. Neither he nor
his grace had arranged for a surgeon because both knew this was to the death.
Stevens hadn’t even bothered bringing a second. That made his grace and me
suspicious. It meant that Stevens likely wouldn’t be playing by gentlemen’s
rules. I wanted his grace to call off the duel. But he wouldn’t.

“They took their places and his grace even allowed
Stevens to count them down. I couldn’t breathe. I could barely stand there
watching. I knew Stevens would cheat. His grace was a formidable shot and no
man in his right mind would wish to face him. As Stevens counted down, I held
my breath. And then it happened. Stevens was a coward and shot on two,
wounding his grace. Blood exploded from the duke’s arm and Stevens was
exuberant, thinking he’d inflicted a mortal wound. He was reaching for a
hidden pistol to finish the job when his grace shot calmly and true. Stevens
was shot straight through the heart. He had a look of shock on his face as he
died. His end was quick and more peaceful than it should have been.”