The Lady Is Innocent (The Star Elite Series) (10 page)

“It’s your room, isn’t it?”

“It is my room, yes,” Tabatha said without a hint of regret or concern for her belongings.

“Are all of your things in there?”

“Only the few things I brought with me. Nothing of any significance,” Tabatha sniffed dismissively.

Only because you have sold everything that has any worth,
Florrie thought waspishly. She had to bite her lip from actually saying the words.

“What happened? How did it start?”

“Hmm?” Tabatha seemed to be transfixed on the house, which wasn’t anything unusual given that everyone else was watching the main door and the flames in the bedroom window. “Oh, from the fire I think.” It was the furtive glance that Tabatha flickered around the gardens that gave Florrie the hint that something was definitely amiss.

For saying that the woman had just escaped a fire in her room, her clothing was relatively
uncharred and she didn’t appear to be all that perturbed by the potential risk to either her life, her possessions, the house or the other occupants.

“But you have a fire guard in your room,”
Florrie stated quietly. “Didn’t you use it?”

Tabatha
turned to glare at Florrie. “Of course, I used it,” she snapped. “I take it that you are talking to me again now then?”

Florrie
stared at her. “If you wish to talk about anything except
your
debts, then yes, I suppose so, but otherwise no.”

She watched as someone from within the room su
ddenly tugged the window upward and threw what looked like bedding and curtains onto the ground below. The curtains lay on the beneath the window. Flames grasped steadily at the cool night air until Archie appeared and threw water on them; stomping on the lingering flames that refused to die.

The
thick, billowing smoke grew steadily thicker until the small group of people began to cough. Florrie followed the others as they moved further back. She glanced at Harriett who was still in her night clothes, her hair tumbled wildly down past her shoulders as she tried to soothe one of the fretful twins. The nanny was beside her, doing the same with the second charge. A head count confirmed that everyone was now out of the house. It was down to the men to extinguish the fire and then they could check to see exactly how much damage was done to the house and decide whether it was still habitable or not.

Turning toward
Tabatha, she jumped to find the space beside her empty. She glanced around but couldn’t see much in the darkness.

“Has
Tabatha gone back inside?” Florrie asked, sidling closer to Francesca.

“She is over there
, look,” Francesca nodded to a position several feet away from them. Tabatha had moved further away so that she could get a better view of what was going on inside the room.

Florrie
glanced back at the window, relieved to see that the flames had gone completely and the smoke had started to thin. Pie appeared and threw all of the windows open. Archie appeared in the room next door and opened the windows in that room as well. Gradually one by one, all of the upstairs rooms were opened to the elements.

Hugo appeared in the doorway and made his way over to the group. “You should be alright to come back inside
in a minute, but you will have to stay downstairs in the sitting room for now. We need to check the joists in the room before you can go back in. There doesn’t look to be too much damage to them, but we need to make sure.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Florrie studied Tabatha carefully as she listened to Hugo’s announcement. She saw the flicker of intense annoyance; anger even, upon hearing that the damage hadn’t been as bad as she had probably planned.

“How much damage is there?”
Florrie asked Hugo quietly as they watched Tabatha return to the house.

“
The damage is mainly to the curtains and rugs. Her wardrobe has been badly singed but nothing more than that except for a few well charred floor boards. I think we managed to catch it on time.”

Florrie
glanced at Harriett who had moved to her husband’s side to give him a quick hug.

“I take it then that it couldn’t have started by the fireplace.”

Hugo lifted quizzical brows and stared at her.

Florrie
watched Tabatha disappear up the stairs over Hugo’s shoulder. True to form, she wasn’t going to follow orders without a struggle and had clearly decided to forget her own safety and go up and see the results of her handy work for herself.

“No, I don’t think so. The fire was near the windows and on the rug at the bottom of the bed. Why?”

“Tabatha.” Florrie sighed, studying the window. She could see Pie talking to Tabatha. She hated to say the words, especially because she couldn’t fathom out why her aunt would do such a thing, but the possible consequences to all of them if Tabatha had the opportunity to try again were horrific.

“I think she stared it deliberately.”

“I know,” Hugo sighed. “The fire isn’t near the fireplace and, even if the logs had spat, embers wouldn’t cover two thirds of the room to start the fire on the curtains near the window.”

“I don’t understand why though. I mean, why would she risk everyone
, including herself?”

“To go home,” Harriett replied, glaring up at the window
at Tabatha, who was standing in plain view.

“What do you mean?”

Harriett sighed. “I mean she has at least another few days here. She may want to go home now that she realises that Florrie knows about the debts that Tabatha has tallied up in her name. The involvement of the Star Elite has thwarted her carefully planned deception and her lies have come to light. It is only a matter of time before you tell all of her creditors, and her access to the gaming houses is severed completely. Getting Florrie alone again means that she can control Florrie’s access to the creditors and protect her scheme for a bit longer.”

“
Do you think that she may have other secrets and she wants to get out of here before we start to dig around too much?” Hugo scowled at the window. His wife’s logic was flawless.

“
Yes, I do,” Harriett sighed, handing the heavy baby to her father who took her and settled her against his chest. Within minutes the young tot was fast asleep. “She may also believe that your interest in her will stop once she has left.”

“Oh dear lord,”
Florrie felt such a huge wave of guilt sweep through her that she didn’t know how to apologise to them; or really what to apologise for except for bringing evil to their door. Well, it wasn’t exactly to
their
door, but it was within their reach. “I think I had better get her out of here,” Florrie whispered, feeling slightly sick.

“You shall do no such thing,” Hugo declared flatly.

Pie would wring his neck if he allowed Florrie to leave after everything he had been through with her. Not only that, if Tabatha had been responsible for running up debts fraudulently and attempting arson to find an excuse to leave the house, then it was up to Hugo to ensure that her rather amateurish shenanigans were brought to a halt as quickly as possible,  preferably before someone really got injured.

Placing a tender kiss on the baby’s head, he handed her back to Harriett and nodded at
Florrie.

“I think we have some questions to ask your aunt. Do you want to be there?”

Florrie considered that for a moment. She wasn’t sure whether she did or not. On one hand she didn’t want to be there and would prefer to stay in the sitting room with the others and wait for the all clear to be able to go to her room, but on the other she wanted to be able to hear what lies her aunt was prepared to tell in order to get her freedom. Given Tabatha’s penchant for lying and incriminating Florrie, she knew it was probably best that she was there.

“I want to be there
,” Florrie sighed.

“I
warn you now though Florrie,” Hugo replied. “When people get as desperate as her, there is no telling what they will do. When we get inside I want you to stay close to Pie. You can ask questions, but it is probably best that you let me take the lead in the discussions.”

Hugo glared up at the open window. It looked as though the clear-up was already underway. Footmen were throwing various items out of the room, while maids were removing what was left of the bed curtains. “It is partly my fault,” he added regretfully. “
Tabatha has asked me several times to allow her to go home. She has pointed out that we are not able to keep her a prisoner and she has the freedom to go when she chooses. I have pushed her into this because I have given orders for her not to be taken anywhere by carriage. It is too far from the village for her to walk, especially if she carries her belongings so she has been backed into a corner and forced to stay.”

“But why set fire to her
room? She could have been killed.” she replied, frowning down at the stone steps outside of the front door. A faint whiff of smoke hung in the air but, other than that, there was no hint of anything untoward having happened.

“It gives us a hint of just how desperate she really is,” Harriett sighed.

Hugo remained silent and walked toward the study. He glanced up at the ceiling, looking for evidence of cracks or charred paint but there was nothing. It was enough to convince him that the room was safe to use for now. Luckily the fire had been directly over the morning room next door and that was currently out of use for now.

He
waved Florrie to a seat and nodded at Pie, Archie and Simon as they entered the room. “I think we have found our culprit,” he announced quietly.

Simon paused and turned to watch him walk out. Any questions they may have had remained unasked
for several long moments while they waited.

“Before you ask, I do not know how it started.”

“Yes, you do,” Pie replied quietly in a voice that was slightly hoarse from the smoke. “It was deliberately set and you know it.”

“It was embers from the fire, you silly man,”
Tabatha sniffed dismissively. She filled a glass half full of brandy without asking and took a seat. The theatrical yawn she gave as she sat down did little except raise the tension.

Florrie
sat in the window seat. Despite the seriousness of the situation she still felt a tiny thrill of awareness when Pie moved to sit beside her. She glanced briefly at him and shook her head at the glass he held out to her.

He
studied her quietly for several moments. She was clearly cold, but was stoically trying to ignore the fine trembling in the fingers she clenched tightly in her lap. There was a hidden fire in her eyes that made her so beautiful that he wanted to sweep her into his arms, in spite of the fact that he smelled like he had been rolling around in the fire grate for most of the evening.

“So, what was the purpose? Do you want to go home?” Hugo drawled, taking a seat directly opposite her. In a nonchalant pose, he placed one booted foot on his knee and stared hard
across the fireplace. It wasn’t lost to him that Tabatha had yet to meet his gaze. She was trying to hide something. It was as much of an admission of guilt that he needed and it fuelled his determination to continue his questioning until she broke. He knew that everyone, no matter who they were, whatever their upbringing had been, had a breaking point. A point at which they felt panic begin to set in and nerves began to unravel their logic. Careful questioning would be enough for them to seal their own fate. He had no doubt that although Tabatha thought she knew what she was doing, she was in fact out of her depth, and was going to have to learn the hard way that she was up against a master.

Tabatha
remained silent and stared defiantly at him. “I am not a criminal and I have done nothing that you can prove. You do not have any control over me and are not in a position to threaten me or keep me a prisoner here against my will. If you even try, I shall have my solicitor on you faster than you can blink.”

“But how are you going to pay that solicitor,
Tabatha? Because we all know that you are nearly destitute. You know it. I know it.”  As he spoke he watched the woman’s eyes harden although she remained belligerently silent.

“You know nothing of the sort,”
Tabatha protested, her voice cold and hard.

“Oh, I am afraid we do.”

Tabatha scoffed inelegantly and took a sip of her brandy. “There is nothing you can prove.”

Pie sighed and moved to stand before the fireplace. He named several of
Tabatha’s favourite gaming establishments and watched derision appear on the woman’s face momentarily before it was replaced with cold contempt. The woman really was rather ruthless. He felt a surge of protectiveness and empathy toward Florrie, and everything she had been through while living with her aunt. It was a blessing in disguise that Jamie and Cecily’s wedding had brought her into contact with the Star Elite, because they were the only people in a position to be able to get Florrie away from Tabatha and on her way to that new life she wanted so desperately.

“
We can prove that the fire upstairs was started with perfume. The empty bottle you threw out of the window didn’t go far enough and the curtains didn’t burn the way you wanted them too. They reek of the same perfume you wear; far too much for them to smell that way if you happened to brush against them. You used a spill to light the perfume and let the dry material do the rest. Unfortunately for you, the curtain didn’t set fire to the rest of the room as you had hoped.

“You can’t prove anything,”
Tabatha snapped, refusing to be baited.

“I am afraid that we can arrest you under suspicion of arson, as well as fraud.” Hugo declared flatly. He pushed to his feet and yawned widely. “I am afraid that we do know for a fact
that you ran up debts in your niece’s name and that is fraud. We will ensure that you go to jail for your crimes. It is either that, or you can go to debtors’ prison first thing in the morning, because we also know that the first instalment you keep trying to get Florrie to pay is one of many that you cannot hope to afford. You have to sell the house and even then there is little likelihood of you being able to cover everything you owe.”

Tabatha
stared at him before she turned to Florrie. “I take it you have been filling their heads with this nonsense?”

“She hasn’t had to,” Pie declared flatly. “We have uncovered enough information so far to ensure that you go to prison for arson. The debts are something completely different, although Hugo can make them one and the same
problem for you if he chooses to.”

Silence settled over them for several moments.

“I am not going to jail,” Tabatha declared flatly. “You have nothing you can prove -”

“There is enough there to ensure that you are locked up on suspicion of arson while we investigate what actually happened, and yes, I can do that.” Hugo snarled. He was tired, starving and, like everyone else in the house, wanted to go to bed. At any other time he would have wanted to question the woman relentlessly but
, right now, he was fed up of her amateurism and wanted her out of the house as quickly as possible. Preferably before she torched the house and ended up taking someone’s life.

“I am afraid the Star Elite can investigate things they are interested in very quickly indeed. We can also take our time when we choose.” His meaning wasn’t lost on the woman
, who stared at him with venomous hatred on her face.

“Or, you can go to debtors’ prison,” Pie added. He knew that Hugo would follow through on his threat to throw her in jail, and the woman deserved it. The only reason Pie wanted her to go to debtors’ prison was because the sentence would be dependent upon her paying her way to freedom. Unless someone cleared her debts for her, there was very little likelihood of her ever getting out
, whereas being found guilty of arson would mean serving a sentence of several years before she was free to resume her life. She would undoubtedly be penniless when she was released. It didn’t sit comfortably with Pie that this woman should pose any threat whatsoever to the woman sitting beside him at any point in the future.

He glanced at her, worried that she was upset at wit
nessing her aunt being arrested but, to his relief, she was merely watching the interchange with the detached curiosity of a mere observer.

“
What if I go to debtors’ prison?” Tabatha was staring down at Hugo’s boots, as though considering her options. “I am not going for her debts, she can pay her own, you understand?”

“We both know that the gambling debts are yours and yours alone. How do you think your creditors are going to take the news that you have fooled them? It doesn’t matter whether the
debts were created in gaming houses, or run up in people’s sitting rooms, the fact is that you gave most of your creditors a false name in an attempt not to have to pay them back. You are a fraudster and, as such, are liable to end up in prison -” Hugo allowed her to absorb that for a moment, “if your creditors don’t catch up with you first. Dexter,” he ignored her gasp, “has already found you. How long do you think you can reside in your home, or here, without others following in his footsteps?”

“They won’t come near
Florrie, we will make sure of that. If anyone does approach her we won’t hesitate to clear up any misunderstandings that you may have allowed to happen. By the time we are finished, all of your creditors will know that you have fraudulently gambled with money you cannot repay and run up debts in someone else’s name. You are a criminal, madam, and deserve to have to face up to your illegal activities. It is either debtors’ prison, or jail. One way or another, you are leaving this house but you will not be going home.” Pie stared at the older woman in disgust and had to fight the urge to shake her.

“I will ensure that your property is seized and sold to pay off your debts
if I have to, with or without your consent,” Hugo added with a yawn and a scowl.

“You cannot do that. It is my home, you have no right -”

“I do have a right, and I will use that right, along with my contacts in the higher echelons of the government, to ensure that you are brought to justice.”

Tabatha
studied Hugo and Pie before her gaze landed on Florrie.

“I would hate to think that you had anything to do with this,
Florrie
dear
,” Tabatha spat.

“I have done nothing but ensure that the truth is revealed, and my good name is restored,”
Florrie replied quietly. “What you have done is despicable; beneath contempt, and you are going to get everything you deserve. I shall be starting a new life, far away from you and your sordid little schemes. You
dear
, will have to face up with your criminal misdeeds and will have nobody but yourself to blame.”

Florrie’s
cheeks were burning with anger. She rose and made her way to the door. Once there, she turned to Hugo.

“Do what you want with her. She is no relative of mine.” With that
, Florrie turned around and ran smack into Jamie, who was standing before her with a scowl on his face.

“Care to tell me what the hell is going on?”

Florrie paused for a moment and stood back to allow Jamie into the room.

Behind him Jonathan was yawning widely.
“It’s safe to go back upstairs. Smells a little smoky I am afraid but it will clear in good time.”

The jubilant sighs from across the hallway heralded the arrival of the ladies and the now sleeping children. Everyone quietly made their way upstairs, leaving the men with
Tabatha in the sitting room along with Florrie. She watched the others head off to bed and felt a pang of envy.

Pie moved to stand beside
Florrie and placed his hand on her elbow to prevent her leaving. He quickly brought Jamie up to speed on Tabatha’s actions, missing out their own attempts to make the first payment, and the ordeals Florrie had been subjected to. He would be told about that once Tabatha had been removed from ear-shot. Until then, there was a decision that needed to be made about the older woman.

Jamie stared at
Tabatha.

“Your silly little cousin here has been telling these gentlemen a pack of lies,”
Tabatha snapped, glaring at Florrie in contempt.

Jamie turned to Hugo, his brows lifted in surprise.

Hugo briefly apprised him of the situation, but his pointed look warned Jamie that there was far more he hadn’t been told in front of the ladies. Jamie knew Hugo well enough to realise that if he was threatening to send Tabatha to debtors’ prison, or worse, jail, then there had to be sufficient evidence against the woman.

He glanced at
Florrie regretfully.

“I am afraid that if anyone is a liar,
Tabatha, you are.” Jamie stared at Tabatha in cold contempt. He had never liked the woman and, although he had known about her benevolence in providing Florrie with a roof over her head as a child, he was aware that the generosity had more to do with the financial stipend she received every month to cover the expenses of having another mouth to feed rather than genuine affection for the young girl. He was aware that Silas had stopped the monthly payments to Tabatha, and paid Florrie instead now that she was old enough to take control of her own finances. It appeared now though that Tabatha had attempted to extract money out of her step-niece in other ways.

He glanced at
Florrie and felt his annoyance surge. His cousin looked completely different to the beautiful young woman who had attended his wedding. She now looked like a lady who had lost some weight, was extremely pale and had dark shadows beneath her eyes that made her look almost haunting. It was shocking and horrifying in equal measure, and he felt a pang of annoyance with everyone for not looking after her better.

“I am afraid that there are things going on with
Florrie that you cannot begin to comprehend,” he drawled, staring at Tabatha coldly. “Matters that have no relevance to you in your current predicament. However, they do prove that Florrie is completely innocent of the crime you are quite willing to place on her shoulders.” He ignored Florrie’ cautious look. “I can vouch for Florrie’s honesty. If she says she didn’t run up any debts, then she didn’t and that is the end of the matter as far as I am concerned.” He turned to Florrie and stared hard at her. “Do you have any debts or unpaid bills?”

“No, of course not,”
Florrie protested wondering where Jamie was heading with this.

“Then I can only assume that any debts that arise
in your name have been created by this woman.” He waved a hand across the room to Tabatha who had risen to stand before the fire.

Her gaze was firmly fixed on
Florrie and Jamie, and she didn’t notice Jonathan edge ever closer. They couldn’t lose sight of the fact that this woman had already tried to torch the bedroom and was a prolific gambler who had been backed into a corner. She was dangerous to everyone, not just to Florrie.