Mr. Belvedere emerged as well, not in his nightshirt as previously, but with sadly creased trousers and a shirt buttoned by guess.
“I say, is this becoming a habit? Night owls all around, eh?” He licked his lips as he took in the temperature of the room. “Blast—you all look as if I’ve murdered someone this time. Swear I haven’t, on my honor.”
Richard wrinkled his nose in disgust. He’d thought the young man harmless before, but now the act was odious. “Sit.”
“Certainly, I’ll sit.” Mr. Belvedere cautiously seated himself at the far side of the table, as if there might be a snake in the room.
“This is very serious,” Richard said. “Caroline and I saw an advertisement that made us consider recent events in another light.” He handed the page to Wentworth as he explained. “We were unwilling to accuse you on such slight evidence, so we set a small trap—to see if you would try to sift through the mail again.Youdid not, but you entreated Mrs. Scott to be your proxy. It wasveryill-done, sir.”
Mr. Belvedere’s mouth opened and closed twice before he spoke. “Did I? Very unhandsome of me.”
“Do you deny it?” Richard asked.
Captain Smythe finally spluttered back to life. “Deny it! Who cares if he denies it? Not I! I only regret I have not a brig on this ship, but I can clap a man in irons as well as anyone!” The first and second mate were now hovering in the passageway, and the captain jerked his head toward the youngest. “See to it!”
Mr. Belvedere looked at Mrs. Scott. His voice was still conversational. “So—Mrs. Scott snuck into the cargo hold? How shocking.”
Caroline made a noise of disgust. “To think I defended you—! Tampering with the mail is a criminal offense. It’s punishable by execution, my husband tells me, and that you would riskSophiaon this… I cannot fully express my disdain.”
Wentworth looked very grave. “And if you did defraud the East India Company—you are in great danger. The time for levity is over.”
Mr. Belvedere looked from one to another and then straightened his shoulders. His chin rose a fraction, and his eyes grew harder. “This is some sort of misunderstanding, but I believe it behooves me to say nothing further until I can speak to a consul or barrister in Lisbon.”
Anne, who had drawn near, perhaps hoping that there was some mistake, took a step back from Mr. Belvedere’s hard look. “I truly thought you were innocent—oh, I have been very foolish.”
Mr. Belvedere’s eyes softened a little, as apparently even he could not look on Anne’s gentle face and stay bitter. “Notsomistaken, ma’am, but I know when I am rolled up. I shall say no more at present.”
“See his impudence!” the captain snapped. “A criminal if ever I saw one. Speak to whoever you want. You’ll hang regardless.”
The hubbub was complete when Mrs. Scott fainted. Neither Richard nor anyone else was close enough to catch her, and she crumpled to the planked floor.
17
Sophia was not alone when she awoke from her sick swoon only a few minutes later. She lay on her shelf-bed in her own cabin. The lamp that hung over her bed was lit, and Anne Wentworth leaned toward her, gently waving a vinaigrette under her nose. She withdrew it at once. “Easy, be easy. Do not sit up at once or you may be ill.”
It was needless to tell her. Sophia felt distinctly nauseated, almost as sick as during the height of the storm. It was all she could do to keep her lips sealed and her stomach from revolting for several minutes. When the worst had passed, she gulped. “A drink, please?”
Anne helped her sip from a glass of half-and-half, which was a diluted spirit known to calm the stomach.
“I have never fainted before.” Sophia’s lips betrayed her by trembling. “I had not thought I was the sort.”
“It is probably the lingering weakness from several days of little food, combined with—such a shock. Lady Marston and Sir Mark were most concerned.”
Sophia didn’t answer right away. She was reliving the moment and remembering her own guilt. Butwasit guilt?Mr. Belvedere had all butadmittedhe was the forger in the advertisement when she confronted him alone. Hadn’t he? If he was punished for his crimes, that was notherfault…
But his eyes, which were usually laughing, had looked so hard and betrayed, it was quite terrible. She had lied dreadfully, and she had been fully believed. Perhaps hewould’ve gone searching through the mail, but he had not asked her to do it. She tried to convince herself that his own crimes had brought him to this, but she was not so artful as to excuse herself that way. It did not matter what hemight’vedone.
She couldn’t do this, could she? Sophia closed her mouth against another swelling of guilt and nausea.
“It’ll pass soon,” Anne said. “Try to breathe.”
“I deserve this. Oh, I am such a fool.”
“No, no.” Anne pressed a cool, wet cloth to her head. “You made a mistake, but it is not irrecoverable. We do not blame you, and my husband has been pointing out that you did not eventouchthe mail. He is certain he can convince the captain to leave you out of his report.”
Sophia’s mistakes went far deeper than that.
Although—self-defense reared its head again—couldone call it a betrayal when he had all but forced his secrets on her? She did notwantany sort of partnership with him, so surely betrayal was not the right word.
