The Lightkeeper's Ball (32 page)

She seemed tongue-tied and didn’t look at him. He offered her his arm and she took it. They moved toward the house. “All recovered today?”

“A little sore. I see you are still limping a bit.” Her tone indicated she was asking only as a courtesy.

Had her mother convinced her he’d played some part in the attack on her? Her eyes were shadowed and her mouth was strained. “You look as though you’re still in shock,” he said.

Her gaze met his then, and her eyes were filled with anguish. “I’m quite recovered from the other night. Th-The Stewarts received distressing news this morning.”

They reached the foot of the steps. Katie and the others had already gone inside. He pressed her hand. “Can I help?”

She rubbed her head. “Mrs. Stewart doesn’t know what to do. She discovered her husband has left his entire fortune to an illegitimate child. At least according to Mr. Fosberg.”

“Fosberg told her this?” He shook his head. “I don’t trust that man.”

“I don’t either, but I saw the will that he produced. It is supposedly a newer will than the one in the possession of the Stewarts’ solicitor.” She hesitated, and her fingers tightened on his arm. “There’s more, Harrison. I’m not even sure Mr. Stewart is dead. I found a note sent to Eleanor just before her death. Mrs. Stewart is sure it’s his handwriting.”

He liked hearing his name on her lips. “This is almost too much to take in. I would do nothing about the money yet. It’s still in Mrs. Stewart’s possession, is it not?”

“Yes, but Mr. Fosberg is planning to take control of it.”

“This seems entirely too convenient. Could Fosberg have forged the will? And the note to Eleanor from her father? What did it say?”

She glanced away from him, and he could tell she didn’t want him to know the note’s contents. “Tell me, Essie.”

She sighed. “It warned her to run from you and your father. That you meant the Stewarts harm.”

He pressed his lips together. “And you believed it?”

“At first,” she admitted. “I know you better now.”

Why would Mr. Stewart be hiding somewhere and allowing this to go on? “We need to find the man if he’s alive. Unless this is all a forgery. Does Fosberg know you found the note to Eleanor?”

“No, I don’t believe so.”

“It’s possible he warned her away from us Bennetts because he wanted her for himself.”

The tightness in her mouth eased as they talked. “Katie is going to have Will’s brother look into it.” She glanced at the door. “I have to tell Katie and Addie that we might as well call off the ball. My friends won’t come under the present circumstances, and I doubt we can raise enough money with only the townspeople in attendance.”

He pressed her hand again. “What if we announce our engagement today? Would they come then?”

Her eyes filled with hope. “Maybe. Unless they hear that the Stewarts have lost all their money.”

“I don’t like your friends. They are fair-weather ones only.”

“I never realized that until now.” Her dark eyes studied him. “You’re still willing to do this?”

Words of love hovered on his tongue, but he reminded himself this was an arrangement to save her reputation. She’d shown no indication she thought of him warmly.

He nodded. “Shall we tell our friends first? Then we can call the newspaper and put in an announcement. I’ll call the New York and San Francisco papers as well. That will put an end to the gossip and, hopefully, your friends will be happy to attend the ball.”

“We can call it an engagement ball as well. They will have even more motivation to attend.” Her eyes sparkled. “It’s a masquerade ball. I find I’m most interested in what you will wear.”

“I’ll have to give that some thought. And what about you? How shall you be dressed?”

“Perhaps Juliet. You can come as Romeo. It seems suitable for an engagement ball, does it not?”

She would need suitable jewelry for that, and he knew just where to buy it. And the exact piece.

Still warm from the congratulations of her friends, Olivia rode with Harrison in his motorcar to tell her mother what they had done. Though the dog was in the backseat, she was no longer afraid of him. Nealy had saved her twice now.

Before they left the Norths’ home, Harrison had telephoned Mr. Quinn to arrange an interview. They’d scheduled a photography session as well. Everything was about to change.

She glanced at the handsome man beside her. What would it be like if he’d actually said the words she’d dreamed as she was gaining consciousness? How would it feel to be loved for herself and not for her pedigree? She had to tell him the truth. Now.

He parked at the manor. “Ready?” His eyes were warm and kind.

Kindness was important to her. She’d seen too many dictator-type husbands.

He turned off the engine. “Before we go in, there is something I need to say.”

She held her breath. Was he going to declare his love? Something squeezed in her chest, and she recalled the words she once dreamed he spoke to her.
I love you
. She should interrupt him and tell him who she was first, but she lacked the courage to do so.

“Go on,” she said when he paused.

“The news will be out soon. I broke ties with my father and the family business. He is going to lease our premier property to Fosberg. We had words and I quit.”

“Y-You quit? But you have such a good head for business. What are you going to do?”

“Build flying machines. John and I.”

Her pulse jumped. “Oh, how grand, Harrison! Truly. You’ll be part of a new era.”

He raised a brow. “You’re not asking how I intend to support a wife. Mrs. Stewart will ask, I’m sure. I have to tell her the truth and say I have some savings, but this venture is a gamble. I believe in it though.”

She put her hand on his. “I believe in
you
, Harrison. Anything you put your hand to will be a success.” The warmth in his eyes intensified. She knew she should snatch her hand away, but she left it in his, forward though the action was.

He squeezed her fingers, then raised them to his lips. When he turned it over and kissed her palm, her skin burned even through the glove she wore. What did her response to him mean? She’d never experienced this kind of reaction.

Tell him
. No, she couldn’t. Not now, with his eyes so tender. The moment he found out she was Olivia Stewart, those warm eyes would go cold.

“We should go in,” she whispered.

“I suppose we should,” he agreed, though he made no move to release her hand. “But first I—”

Someone touched her shoulder, and Olivia turned to see Goldia outside.

“Mrs. Stewart wants to see you, miss,” she said.

Olivia pulled her hand out of Harrison’s grip. “We’ll be right in.” What had he been about to say? She was afraid to imagine.

He climbed out of the car and came around to escort her inside. She liked being on his arm, fancied the way her head came only to his shoulder, admired the feel of his muscles flexing under her fingers where they lay on his arm.

“Take courage,” he said under his breath when they stepped inside the parlor where her mother waited. “She’s not your family. You don’t have to answer to her, not really.”

What would he do when he found out? She feared her deception would prove he should never trust a Stewart.

“There you are, my dear,” her mother said. “You’ve been gone quite a long time.” Her curious gaze touched Harrison’s face.

Harrison stiffened beside Olivia. It was a stark reminder of how he felt about her family. How was she ever going to tell him the truth?

She clasped her hands together. “We have something to tell you, Mrs. Stewart. I’ve accepted Harrison’s kind offer of marriage. It will be in tomorrow’s paper.”
Act surprised
, she mentally begged her mother.

Her mother stared, then nodded. “Quite fitting. Though you are not in her social standing, of course, Mr. Bennett. I applaud you for doing the right thing.”

He gave a stiff bow. “I understand I’m not worthy of Lady Devonworth. But I can tell you that I will treasure her.”

Treasure her
. The words filled Olivia’s heart. If only Harrison meant them. If only this wasn’t a role he’d chosen to play to protect her honor. His restraint when dealing with her mother was admirable, especially considering the contempt he felt.

Olivia glanced at her mother’s writing desk and saw the morning’s post on it. A pile of letters was neatly stacked. From her mother’s New York friends, no doubt. They would all be asking questions about the scandal. An engagement would polish her mother’s tarnished crown as well.

“We have an appointment with the newspaper in a few minutes,” Olivia said, brushing her lips across her mother’s powdered cheek. “Mr. Bennett insisted we tell you first.”

“Come back as soon as you can,” her mother said as they moved toward the door. “We have much to discuss, my dear.”

“We should be back by dinner. Mr. Bennett wants to talk to his mother. His father has departed until next month.” Olivia took Harrison’s arm again and they stepped out into the hall. “That went smoothly,” she whispered.

He opened the door for her. “I managed to hold my tongue. It was clear she thought I was far beneath her family and yours.”

The censure in his voice made her chest squeeze. How would she ever tell him she was a Stewart?

Harrison had little more to say on the way to the newspaper office. She tried not to care that he didn’t bring up what he’d started to say before Goldia had interrupted. She wanted to ask him if he meant what he’d said about treasuring her. Maybe they could forget about canceling the engagement after the gossip died down.

She wasn’t ready to show her heart to him. Not until she knew more about his feelings.

The small newspaper office smelled of ink and dust. Olivia wanted to jiggle her foot, but she forced herself to be composed and calm. If Quinn leaked a hint of who she was . . . She pasted on a smile when he stepped into the room.

“Ah, right on time,” he said, going around to his chair behind the desk. “Where is your fiancé?”

“In the men’s room. I must ask you to remember your promise to me.”

His eyebrows rose. “You haven’t told him you are Olivia Stewart?”

She held his gaze. “That’s my business only.”

He looked away. “I’ve done some digging into Eleanor’s death. And into Fosberg.” He pulled a file toward him and opened it. “Fosberg and she had a tryst two days before she died.”

“I know about that,” she said.

His lips tightened. “I thought we were working together.”

“I was trying to protect my sister’s reputation. I don’t want that in any article.”

“You promised me the full story.”

She should have known better than to think she could evade him. “I meant the full story about who murdered her. I don’t want her besmirched.”

“She did that all by herself.” He thumbed through his file. “Her body was found by a fisherman. Fully clothed right down to her shoes. She didn’t go out for a pleasant swim.”

Olivia shook her head. “Of course not. She was terrified of the water.”

He nodded. “Makes sense. The constable was never satisfied that it was a simple drowning, by the way. He suspected your lover boy.”

She sagged against the wooden back of the chair. “Why would he suspect Harrison?”

“Don’t be a dunce. He had to have figured out his fiancée was playing footsie with Fosberg.”

“He didn’t harm her,” Olivia said, her lips trembling. “I’m sure of it. What about Fosberg?”

“He’s got a reputation with the ladies, but it appears he deserted his normal lady friends after he met Eleanor. The two seemed very close. One of his friends called him ‘besotted.’”

“With Eleanor or the name Stewart?”

The reporter shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe both. He told his partner he was going to marry her out from under Bennett’s nose. Almost like he had a personal vendetta against Harrison.”

That was a new wrinkle. Olivia tried to recall if Harrison had acted like he knew Fosberg, but she thought he’d claimed not to before returning from Africa. “I shall have to ask Harrison about his relationship with the Fosbergs.”

He leaned forward. “And that brings up something else. Fosberg’s mother seems to have had a relationship with your father.”