Love's Justice (Entangled Scandalous) (16 page)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Dennison stepped inside his office several days later.

“There is a man outside who wishes to see you without an appointment.”

“I’m very busy today. Can you ask if he can make an appointment and see me later? Perhaps after the New Year.”

“I can ask, my lord, but I believe he might not accept that solution.”

“Do you know who it is?” Hugh was busy with papers and hadn’t as yet looked up.

“Yes, it’s Lord Stanford.”

That caught Hugh’s attention. As much as he detested the man, he should see what he wanted. For a moment there was a flashback to Christmas Eve. The night he had spent with Victoria. He had left early in the morning before anyone was up and about. Suddenly, he was afraid of the very thing they had talked about: that their indiscretion might be discovered.

“Give me a minute, Dennison. Make it fifteen minutes and then escort him in.”

Hugh sat back in his chair. He didn’t want to do anything quickly. It might only confirm any notion Stanford had that he could influence the outcome of the case by blackmail. He wasn’t sure what he knew, but he was sure whatever it was would be used against him to try and influence the outcome of the trial.

Making love to Victoria had been a foolish thing to do. They had both acknowledged that fact. And yet, in the wee hours of Christmas morning, they had made love again, even more passionately. Desperation had driven their ardor. Imminent separation threatened the nascent feelings the intimacy had created. Love was there, but it was still an untested love. And with it was the knowledge that what they were doing was on some critical level wrong.

He would give up a lot for Victoria. Living without her was the worst fate he could imagine. Such a scenario wouldn’t have been possible a few short weeks ago. Now, he was determined to recuse himself, remove himself from the case entirely. It would be difficult to explain the reason for his abrupt departure, but somehow he would do it.

He continued on with his work until a knock at the door stopped him. “Come.”

Dennison opened the door.

“Stanford.” Hugh denied the man any honorific.

“My lord, how good to see you again.” Stanford’s smirk told Hugh something was afoot.

“Have a seat.” Hugh braced himself for the worst. “How can I help you? You do realize this kind of meeting is highly irregular.”

“I think you’ll be interested in what I have to say. It might even impact your decision on my case.” He pulled a linen handkerchief from his pocket and began to wipe his hands. “You see, Montgomery, I have information about you.” He stopped the bizarre hand wiping and looked up. “And about a certain lady. Miss Victoria Westwood.”

Hugh needed to stay calm no matter what the man said. He pulled himself away from the turmoil in his heart. He had to appear dispassionate and objective.

“What information would that be?”

“It seems I saw you leaving her room at Syon House a whole hour after you assaulted me. I made no police report on your assault because I didn’t want to” —he paused before continuing choosing his words carefully— “
upset
you and perhaps hurt my case.”

“It was you who attempted rape. I should have called the authorities on you.”

“That would have made a mess of things, as you well know. Your position and relationship would have been called into question.” He smiled, but the smile wasn’t pleasant. “I thought your stay of more than an hour smelled of something, shall we say, untoward.” He laughed cynically. “Just to prove how innocent you were of becoming too familiar with a defendant in one of the cases before you, I had a man watch you and your every move.”

Stanford could have stopped there. Hugh knew what was coming.

“It seems you spent a nice Christmas Eve at Lord Percy’s home and then walked a certain lady back to her home, where, please correct me if I’m wrong, you spent the rest of the night with Miss Westwood.”

“You can have no idea what transpired there that night, nor the night at Syon House after you attempted to rape Miss Westwood.”

“Well, others may come to their own conclusions. Consoling the poor woman seems a bit, shall we say, inappropriate for the man who is to sit in judgment over her case. I doubt the community would see your impartiality after the woman offered you her many pleasures as gratitude for you favoring her.”

It wasn’t worth arguing with the man. Hugh asked calmly, “And what do you intend to do with this information?”

“Nothing at all, should the case be properly settled.” He had started to wipe his hands again. Hugh found it unsettling, and the man himself beyond contemptible; yet, he himself had contributed to his quandary.

“I have decided to recuse myself from the case. I’ll hand it over to another judge.”

Stanford smiled broadly. “I was afraid that might be your response. If you do not hear the case, I would be forced to do something about it. Something involving Miss Westwood. If she were to meet with an untimely accident…”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Hugh grasped the sides of his chair to prevent himself from rising and throttling the man.

“Are you willing to take that chance?”

“And what if the decision I make is fair and equitable but not in your favor?”

“I’m not sure fair and equitable is what I’m after.” Stanford smiled. “I think a verdict in my favor is what I’m looking for. If it is not in my favor, I fear the next morning’s papers will be filled with your escapades with Miss Westwood, and both your reputations will be irredeemable.

“This is a very nice office.” He waved a hand around the room. “A very nice position. You have done well after your father’s sins. You have established yourself as an honest and reputable magistrate. I think losing your honorable reputation would be harder on you than losing the money would be on me.

“Think about what I have said. Either way you will have a stain on your soul. I think a court decision would be the lesser of evils. Surely you don’t want Miss Westwood to meet an early demise.”

Hugh rose abruptly from behind his desk. He wanted to kill the man.

“I think you’ve made your position clear, Stanford. Blackmail can sometimes be very effective.”

Stanford took this to mean he had succeeded. He, too, rose and extended his hand. “I am glad we have come to an agreement then.”

Hugh did not extend his own hand. “If you would please leave.”

“Of course.” Again, he smiled sardonically. “Have a good day.”

After he had left, there was another knock on the door. Dennison opened it slightly. “Is everything all right, your lordship?”

“Yes, Dennison. Thank you for inquiring. In a few minutes I will have a letter that I would like hand delivered to Miss Victoria Westwood. Will you see to it?”

“Of course, my lord.”

Hugh looked at the blank piece of vellum and tried to make sense of it all. They said love conquers all. He knew better. The tragedy with Cathy had taught him love only makes you more vulnerable. He had been selfish and foolish, and now it wasn’t just he who would pay for his indiscretion, but Victoria as well.

He had been so careful all these years since Cathy’s death not to let his feelings rule him and in one slip, with one woman, he would see his life come crashing down around him. Everything he had worked for, all his hopes and dreams he had endangered on a whim. How had he lost his way so thoroughly? Why did it hurt so much? He should never have attempted to find happiness again. It was going to ruin them both.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Victoria sat numb, Hugh’s letter on her lap.

She was suffocating. She looked out the window for relief. The fog still had not let up, and its constant presence made her restless and morose, gasping for air. This couldn’t be happening. How could she have been so naive? He had gotten his way, taken her virtue, and now was abandoning her.

The letter was cold and hard. Their relationship had been a mistake and must end. There was no hope for them in the future. It was for the best.

There was no explanation, no apology. No effort made to acknowledge what she had thought they had. He had only communicated his concern for her well-being in terms of Stanford’s threat against her person.

She had been right from the beginning. He wanted to use his position to see what he could get for it, trading sex for a favorable verdict. Was he seeing if the gossips were right? Is that how he justified it? If she would sleep with him, surely she had slept with Stanford. Her heart beat so rapidly she thought it would burst. At least if she died from humiliation, it would save her from facing him ever again.

Her hands were still shaking violently when she picked up the second letter.

This one promised nothing but bad news as well. It was from her father. She had kept the news of the lawsuit from him. He was returning to attend her wedding. Now he could be a witness at the trial. The question was, on whose behalf would he testify?

Startlingly, he planned to arrive almost simultaneously with the letter.

She rang the bell. “Mrs. McCreery, it appears my father is arriving today from New York. Could you check the guest bedroom and make sure there are fresh linens? Please tell the cook to plan for two for dinner.”

“How nice for you, miss. To have your father here for the start of the New Year.”

Victoria was at her wit’s end. She couldn’t just sit in the house all day, but she couldn’t risk going anywhere where she might be cornered by Lord Stanford. She needed to escape, though.

She rose and found Mrs. McCreery with the cook. “Mrs. McCreery, will you call my carriage? I am going to see Lady Edith. I believe they said they would be home from Syon House yesterday.”

“Yes, miss.”

An hour later, Victoria was shown into the sitting room of the Percy home.

“How nice of you to call. I hope your Christmas was a good one.” Edith rose and embraced Victoria. Her tight grip indicated she sensed something was amiss. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

“I just needed to get out of the house. My father is returning, and I didn’t want to be home when he arrives. Is that a terrible thing for a daughter to say?”

“No, of course not. Surely, he must realize how difficult this unfortunate marriage arrangement must be for you. What does he think of the lawsuit?”

Victoria settled on the sofa next to Edith. “I haven’t told him.”

Edith reached over and took Victoria’s hand, giving it a little shake of disapproval. “You must tell him. You must explain to him what kind of man Stanford is.”

“I will try, but you don’t know my father. He will not be pleased by my continued refusal to marry the man.”

“It is inconceivable for you to marry him.” Edith paused for a moment and studied her friend. “What else is bothering you? There is something else, isn’t there?”

“Yes, but I can’t speak of it. Truly I can’t. It’s better you don’t know. I won’t have you and Henry dragged into the sordidness.”

“It’s Hugh, isn’t it?”

Victoria was shaking her head no, but the tears in her eyes confirmed the opposite.

“What has happened? Henry and I are party to this. If we are in any way to blame, I will never forgive myself. You must tell me.”

Victoria sought out the letter from Hugh and handed it to Edith, who quickly read it.

“This is not like Hugh at all. Something must have happened, something terrible. He offers no explanation at all?”

“He says only he regrets his actions. It was a mistake to be involved with me in any way.”

“That can’t be. I have never seen him so happy as when he was with you. I don’t understand it at all.” She looked at the letter in her hand once more. “Surely he can recuse himself? That would end any appearance of impropriety. Why is he concerned about your safety? Why would Stanford threaten you?”

“Oh, Edith, it is so complicated. Trust me in this.”

“Oh, my poor dear,” Edith suddenly seemed to realize the depth of her problem, “you love him.”

Victoria only shook her head in a valiant effort to deny it.

“We never foresaw this outcome. It was always Hugh we were worried about. This letter can’t reflect his true feelings. I refuse to accept it. Henry will be able to make sense of it. He knows Hugh better than anyone. But let me ring for tea. You must stay awhile and calm yourself.”

Victoria sat back and relaxed, at least for the moment. This place was a refuge, these people her anchor. They had never intended things to go so horribly wrong, of that she was sure.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Victoria returned from the Percys’ with a little more confidence than she had prior to her visit. “Has my father arrived?”

“Yes, miss,” the maid said. “He arrived just a short time ago and has gone to his room to freshen up. He asked that he be informed when you returned.”

“Ask Mrs. McCreery to have tea prepared. My father may be hungry. I’ll tell him I’m home.”

Victoria climbed the steps to her father’s room with a heavy heart. If only she could make him understand. She hadn’t been successful in the past, but now it was critical. He needed to acknowledge the contract was a mistake and to testify in court that she had never agreed to it.

She knocked lightly on the door. “Father?”

He opened the door. He looked fatigued. Perhaps it was not the time to apprise him of the situation.

“Victoria. You look lovely as always.” He embraced her awkwardly.

“I’ve had Mrs. McCreery bring tea to the parlor. Will you join me?”

“Yes, yes. Of course.” He exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

The tea tray had already arrived in the parlor. Victoria indicated a chair for her father and chose to sit across from him on the small sofa.

Her father was quiet. He did not look at her but rather at his hands. This silence was unusual for him. He never questioned himself. Never hesitated. He had always made decisions quickly and surely.

“I stopped by my solicitor’s office before I came here today,” he finally said.

She would not have to tell him.

“He told me about your continued refusal and Stanford’s lawsuit.”

“Father, please, let me explain.”

He held up a hand to silence her. “He told me what you have been through. What scandalous rumors have surfaced about you. I never intended to hurt you. I was only trying to make your life easier. I’ve never known how to handle you. You challenged me on everything and perhaps as a result—”

“Oh, Father.” She smiled sadly, grateful for his support, now that she had been abandoned by Hugh. “Will you help me? Things have deteriorated to the point that I am despondent and can see only ruin ahead. And not just for me but for others as well.”

He leaned forward and took her hands. “What can I do?”

“Talk to Lord Stanford. Perhaps there is some way you can dissuade him. If he knows you will testify on my behalf, he might give up on his suit.”

He was silent for a moment. “If you think it might help, I will talk to him.”

“Oh, thank you Father. Thank you.”

…

“Lord Percy is here to see you, my lord.”

“Send him in, Dennison.” Despite the holidays, Hugh was working. He was diligently researching English law on Victoria’s case. Since he had chosen not to recuse himself, he was determined to have a thorough knowledge of the law on his side wherever it might lead.

The work had a second purpose. It kept his mind off Victoria.

“What the hell is going on, Monty?”

“I’m working. What does it look like?” Hugh looked up, startled by his friend’s agitation.

Henry took a seat across from Hugh. “Something is wrong. Edith and I are beginning to regret our matchmaking. It wasn’t well thought-out, and we fear you and Victoria are paying a heavy price.”

Hugh closed his law book. “What’s happened?”

“Victoria came to see Edith. She was very upset. Edith pressed her and it seems you are the cause of her anguish. “

Hugh ran a hand through his hair. It was a subtle acknowledgment that he was indeed the cause of Victoria’s distress.

“You do know her father is back in town?”

Hugh raised his eyebrows in surprise. “No, I didn’t know that.”

“Well he is. I don’t know how he’s taken the news of the lawsuit. It seems Victoria never informed him of it. We haven’t seen her since she confronted her father. I hope it doesn’t further complicate her life.” Henry waited for some kind of response, and when none came, he continued. “You and she have become involved, haven’t you? And you have cut her off without explanation and against reason.”

Hugh didn’t answer but he didn’t have to.

“I must say Edith and I hoped it would be a match. It’s just we perhaps got the timing wrong. We should have waited until after the trial to push our agenda. I’m sorry, old man.”

Hugh shook his head. “I’ve been party to the decision. I would not put the blame on you.” He sat back in his desk chair. “It’s just that I’ve underestimated Stanford.”

A look of disgust crossed his friend’s face. “The man is despicable. I can only imagine the lengths to which he’d go to affect the outcome of the trial. The word is he is deeply in debt and must have this settlement. I suspect he has concerns for his very life.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Henry didn’t even know the half of it.

“Can’t you recuse yourself? Leave it to someone else to decide the case?”

“I can’t do that. You have to trust me on this, Percy. If I could, I would.”

“I trust you to be diligent and to arrive at the correct verdict,” Henry said. “But whichever way the verdict goes, I suspect there will be dire consequences.” He was clearly trying to pry out more information. “Is that why you’ve so cruelly broken the woman’s heart? I expected better of you.”

“I have hurt her in ways you can’t begin to imagine,” Hugh answered. “I don’t know what the consequences may be. I should never have followed my heart instead of my head. I was selfish and have put her under a real threat, not just to her reputation, but to her person as well. I may be a pariah after the trial. You and Edith may wish to withdraw your friendship.”

Henry leaned forward in his chair, deeply disturbed. “You will always have us. Edith and I will stand by you no matter what.”

“The last thing I want is for you and Edith to be dragged into this sordid mess. I appreciate your support but you have no idea what you are committing to.”

“Then tell me.”

“I can’t. Don’t feel you are in any way a party to this. I want it to stay that way.”

“Do you love her?” Henry asked, and Hugh could feel him watching him closely.

Hugh looked up. He knew the answer. “Yes.”

Henry expelled a breath. “Then what has possessed you to do such a heartless thing?”

“I don’t want her hurt. I acted selfishly, and she will pay for it. Once before I hurt a woman I loved, and I won’t do it again.”

“You are a fool. Do you think you are somehow unworthy of loving again?”

Hugh shook his head in disgust. “It was an inappropriate relationship from the beginning. I don’t know what possessed me.”

“You have no idea, do you?”

Hugh looked up at his friend, puzzled by the question.

“Love makes fools of us all.” Henry was dead serious. “It leaves us vulnerable to extraordinary pain but promises the reward of joy greater than any you can imagine. You cannot protect yourself from one if you desire the other. Life offers no assurances.

“If you want her, you must risk being hurt. Risk it being impossibly complicated and messy. I realize it is an affront to your desire to be orderly and sane. A violation of your need for propriety and correctness. But what have the past ten years of rigidity gotten you? When all this is over, you could have something more precious than money, more valuable than your reputation.”

“But the cost may be too high.” Hugh remained thoughtful for a moment. “I need one thing from you. I cannot in any way be with her. Threats have been made. I need you to watch over her for me.”

“Threats? From Stanford? Of course, of course. You have no worry there. But shouldn’t the police be involved somehow?”

“Sadly, no. I have no proof. It would only add fuel to the fire. You said her father has arrived. Can you find out where his feelings lie? Perhaps he can testify that Victoria never agreed to the marriage from the start.”

“Certainly. I think Edith and I may pay them a visit. I cannot imagine a father giving his daughter to Stanford if he were aware of the man’s temperament. We can enlighten him in that regard.”

“Thank you, Percy. Tell Edith I send my love.”

“I will. We were only thinking of your happiness.” He stood up. “But, Monty, you must fix this with Victoria. It is not something we can do for you.”