With a nod, Rupert looked to his brother. “Preston and I were deeply troubled at that time. I had received notes demanding money from me. Money that would have to be given if news about my sister was not to spread through London.”
“You are speaking of Rebecca,” Lord Wishart said, slowly. “I will not pretend that we are unaware of her circumstances, but I thought that she was married and settled now.”
“She is,” Rupert replied, a hint of a frown on his own face. “You know of her situation, then?”
Lord Wishart grimaced. “Yes, we did hear of it. The child is not her husband’s, I believe.”
“And she has not been married long enough for anyone to believe that he might be,” Lord Preston interjected. “We were not aware that you had heard of her plight.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Rupert noticed how Emma had dropped her head lower still, so that her chin nearly rested on her chest. His stomach tightened, understanding shooting through him. “You learned about this from your sister, I presume?”
“Why, yes,” Lord Howerton answered, with a frown pulling at his forehead. “But that cannot be of concern to you, surely? We are family, and we are loyal to each other. There was not even the smallest thought in my mind about sharing that news with anyone in theton.”
Pressing his lips together, Rupert hesitated as he tried to think of what to say next. He wanted Emma to be the one to admit to what she had done, for stating outright that she had tried to blackmail him might bring about his cousins’ ire, even if itwasthe truth. They had to listen, had to understand, andrealize the extent of Emma’s guilt. What would come thereafter would be entirely up to them.
“You do not doubt that, I hope?”
Rupert shook his head at Lord Wishart’s question. “No, I do not. But Emma, however, may not have had as much desire as you both to keep such a thing to yourselves.”
“Emma?” Lord Howerton swung his gaze around towards his sister. “Whatever do you mean?”
Silence reigned. No one spoke; no one said a single word for some minutes, and Rupert did not know what else he might add. They were all waiting for Emma to respond, to say something that would clarify what Rupert had said.
She said nothing.
“I understand that you must find yourself in a place of great distress, Miss Gladstone.” Coming to stand beside him, Lady Eleanor spoke softly and with a good deal more gentleness than Rupert himself had been able to manage. “But this is not something that you can escape from, I am afraid. You must speak honestly and truthfully about what you have done. All must be made known if it is to be made right.”
Emma put her head in her hands and, her shoulders shaking, began to sob.
“I do not understand any of this,” Lord Wishart stated, sounding a trifle angry. “You are making my sister deeply upset, Finchley!”
“Given what she has done to him, I hardly think that a few tears are worth getting upset over.” Lord Preston, with a sharpness to his tone, got to his feet and strode across the room to pour a small measure of brandy into a glass. “Understandably, you will feel sympathy for her, but believe me, Wishart, whatshehas done – ”
“What has she done?” Lord Howerton got to his feet, his eyes narrowed as he pointed one finger in Rupert’s direction. “Explain it all to me now.”
Rupert sighed and shook his head. “I wanted Emma to be the one to share it, but if she will not, then I suppose I must.” He gave his cousin another minute to lift her head and begin to speak, but she did not; he tried his best to explain. “The threats I received were for money. Money that was required for specific things – a theatre box, horses, a carriage, etc. The money was supposedly earmarked for such things and, to my mind, came from someone who did not have a good deal of coin but who desired such things to keep themselves in good standing and fine comfort.”
“But Emma already has all that she desires,” Lord Howerton stated. “Unless you are suggesting that I do not provide all such things for her?”
“It is not Emma who lacked,” Rupert replied, quietly. “But Lord Wigton.”
The moment those words left his lips, Emma let out such a gasp of either shock or dismay that every eye turned to her again. Her eyes were fixed now, wide and staring up at Rupert, tears staining her cheeks.
“You did all of this for him, did you not?” Rupert asked, as tension began to cloud the room. “Either that, or he coerced you into doing what you ought not to do. He wants – herequiresmoney – and given what you knew about my sister and my own good fortune, you thought to do what you could for him.”
“By stealing from your own cousin!” Lord Preston exclaimed, sounding a good deal less forgiving. “By threatening someone within your own family!”
“Emma.” Lord Wishart turned to his sister, but his voice was thin, shock filling it. “Surely, this cannot be true?”
As Rupert and the others watched, Emma set her hands down from her face, clasped them in her lap, and looked straight back at Rupert, her chin lifted.
“I did it all for love,” she said, her voice wobbling but her gaze steady. “You know what that feels like, do you not, Finchley? Tell me, is there anything you would not do for Lady Eleanor?”
The first answer in his heart was to state that no, there was nothing he would not do for the lady he loved. That response, however, was held back as he turned to look straight back at Lady Eleanor, who was gazing at him with a calmness in her expression. It was as if to say, whatever it was he wanted to say, whatever he felt the need to say, she trusted him to speak both well and with honesty.
He took a breath. “Yes, Emma,” he said, still holding Lady Eleanor’s gaze. “Thereissomething that I would not do, regardless of just how much love I have in my heart for her.”
21
