He readily surrendered the floor to his mother-in-law, silently wishing her luck and Godspeed. As Celia had gotten stronger, her patience with remaining abed as the doctor ordered had lessened with each passing day. The devil himself couldn’t get along with his fractious beauty, and Elias dared any brave demon to try.
He also secretly reveled in every minute of it. Her furious temperament meant she was healing, and soon—very soon, he hoped—their marriage bed would serve for something much more enjoyable than sleeping.
“Celia,” the dowager said with another sharp stamp of her cane. “The plan is already in motion and has been quite successful thus far. It is the answer to our dilemma.”
“And has dear old Prinny already gobbled up our entailed lands now that he knows no one holds the title? Has he declared it extinct and asked for the accounts? What about our businesses? The people who depend upon us? Those things not covered by Charles’s will?” Celia fisted her hands atop the bedcovers. “That is exactly why we didn’t kill off my beloved brother in the first place, remember? So everything we worked for wouldn’t end up in the hands of Prinny’s favorites!”
“Cecilia Elizabeth! Keep your voice down and mind your tone!” Duchess Thea rapped her cane on the floor yet again, then turned and ordered Elias forward with a snap of her head. “Explain it to her, son-in-law. Details, if you please. It is the business side of her. She only listens to details.”
“Facts,” Celia said, her eyes flashing. “I understand facts, and as yet, all I have seen and heard goes against everything you ingrained in me since birth, Mama.”
“The Hasterton estate, the entailments, and personal property of the duke will take some time to settle for two reasons, my love,” Elias said. “First, thanks to the brilliance of you and your mother, the estate is vast and multilayered. Ample time in probate will prevent any nefarious disputes which might rear their ugly heads.” Elias couldn’t resist a smugness he rarely allowed himself. “And second, as the executor of the duke’s will, I shall insist that the Prerogative Court of Canterbury here in London proves the terms are properly settled beyond a shadow of a doubt.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “All this will give us time to get the original Hasterton letters patent amended. The announcement of the duke’s untimely demise is in this morning’s papers, as is the report of the dreadful attack on your person while you, Lady Sophie, and a gentleman whose name Lady Sophie refused to divulge strolled around Vauxhall Gardens.”
“And I shall see to it that the motion for the amendment is brought to the floor next week,” Monty said with a gloating hike of his brows that made Elias duck his head to hide a smile. His brother was enjoying this entirely too much.
“You shall soon be the Duchess of Hasterton, my lady love, and legally so.” Elias braced himself. His lioness was still not happy, and was about to enlighten all of them on the error of their ways. He saw it in her eyes.
She stared straight ahead, her delicate nostrils flaring as she pulled in a deep breath. With her hands clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles turned white, she attempted a smile and failed. “Might I have a private word with my husband?” she forced through clenched teeth.
The dowager and Monty looked to him as if waiting for his last request before he went to the gallows.
After a tip of his head to release them, Elias resettled his stance and watched them file out and close the door softly behind them.
“This will never work. None of it!” Celia whipped her covers aside with a pained grimace, then gingerly rose from the bed.
Elias rushed to support her. “You were ordered to stay in bed, remember?”
“I am sick of that blasted bed!” With careful steps, she stayed the course until she reached the chaise longue beside the window. “Lying about is making me weaker. I can feel my energy ebbing like the tide going out.”
There was no point arguing with her, and if she felt strong enough to be up and about, then more power to her. Elias doubted very much that old Dr. MacMaddenly could best her.
“How much did you have to pay the Bow Street Runners and Dr. MacMaddenly for their silence?” She winced as she lowered herself to the couch and leaned back among the pillows.
“They are honorable men who refused to take anything once we explained the situation.” Elias draped a light cover across her, then settled down beside her. “Elkins still loves your mother, and it appears old MacMaddenly is smitten with her as well. Portney has worked for me for years and is a family man. He knows what happens to women not properly provided for. England’s laws about such things are reprehensible.” He placed her feet in his lap and started massaging them, as a rather talented whore had once shown him after a long night of celebrating his cruel father’s death.
“And your brother suggested this farce?” Shifting a pillow to better support herself, Celia eyed Elias with such an infuriated look that he laughed. She shook a finger at him. “This is not funny, Elias. Have you forgotten your reaction when I confessed my story to you? And yet here you accept your brother’s escapade with open arms when his plot is a great deal weightier on the immoral and illegal side of things than mine was.” She shook her head. “Using Friedrich’s body as the duke’s?” She gingerly clapped a hand on her chest. “For heaven’s sake, they shall hang us all.”
He ached to gather her in his arms and kiss away her frustrations but didn’t dare—not as sore as she still seemed to be. “Monty’s plan will set you and your mother free.Thatis why I accepted it with open arms.”
“And you truly believe Parliament will pass the act amending the dukedom?” The way she bit her lip made him ache to find the words to console her as he brushed her tousled curls back from her face. She caught his hand and clutched it as though fearing he would abandon her. “What if they vote the amendment down? Then what will we do?”
He wished he could ease her worries but realized she had carried them with her all her life. His dear one didn’t know any other way to feel. “At the very worst, my love, the entailed properties would be lost and the title would go extinct. But you know as well as I that with so much transferred to the Bening accounts, all of us could live quite comfortably—even without my earnings, which are nothing to dismiss, by the way.”
“But what aboutmybusinesses?Myinvestments? Have you any idea how many people depend on my help for their livelihoods?” Her lower lip quivered, and she clutched his hand tighter. “Mama and I worked so very hard to build an empire that not only helped us but helped others like us. Is all of it to be lost?”
“As I recall, the will has the executor take over their management.” He knew she wouldn’t like his next suggestion, but it was all he could offer her. “You could maintain your operations under my name.” Another thought reared its ugly head. “Even after the letters patent is amended, the business dealings might have to be handled much as we have addressed them in the past. Through my office, and rather thanCharles’ssignature—mine. Anything you attempt might not be taken seriously because you are a woman.”
Celia released his hand and massaged her temples. A bitter huff escaped her. “I must be getting soft. All this talk is making my head pound.”
“You were supposed to stay in bed, dear one. It has only been a few days since your attack.”
“Do not chide. I am not in the mood to bear it and have not an ounce of politeness left within me.” She leaned her head back against the pillows and closed her eyes. “I want to dress and sit in the gardens, since the sun has finally decided to shine once again.” She cracked open an eye and glared at him, daring him to refuse her.
Fresh air would do his precious one a world of good. Dr. MacMaddenly could fuss all he wished. The man was not only paid well but had yet to vacate the guest room with which he had been provided. The old goat’s excuses grew lamer with each passing day.
Elias rose and pressed a lingering kiss to Celia’s forehead, breathing in the sweetness of her jasmine scent. “I shall fetch Berta immediately. Once she has you ready, I shall carry you down to the gardens, and when you tire of butterflies, bees, and sunshine, I shall carry you back upstairs. We shall have tea there. A delightful picnic. How does that sound?”
Celia lifted her head, her eyes brighter at the prospect. “What about Dr. MacMaddenly?”
