Everything in Olivia wanted to hear the excuses and the reasons from Russell and Tabitha as to why they’d betrayed her. But Lucas was present to hear it, and at the moment, she suspected Mrs.Milton needed her more than Arthur Cunningham did.
Olivia left her place at Lucas’s side and found Mrs.Milton in the drawing room, which was lit only by the fire in the hearth. She was seated on the sofa, still in her elegant finery from the Whitmore dinner, staring into the fire. She was not crying, but her hands were shaking.
Olivia was trying to determine what she should say when Mrs.Milton beat her to it. “You’d best go, MissBrannon. You’ll miss the questioning. I’m not entirely sure what has happened here tonight and what exactly it is that Tabitha and those men have done, but since you and Mr.Avery have returned and there is a pile of porcelain on the table, I can only assume you have business to tend to.”
“The constables will take care of it.” Olivia sat next to Mrs. Milton. “Right now I’m more concerned with you than the questioning.”
Olivia took Mrs.Milton’s hand in her own, and they sat in silence for several moments. At length, Mrs.Milton heaved a shallow sigh. “I thought I’d take that secret with me to the grave.”
Olivia squeezed her hand. “It must have been a very difficult secret to live with.”
Mrs.Milton sniffed and impatiently swiped at the moisture in her eyes. “It was, at the beginning. I was so angry with Francis. And Tabitha was right. I did want to make him pay and regret his actions. But time has a way of softening such intentions. I forgave him. In fact, I never thought of Tabitha as his child. I considered her a friend. I was able to separate them in my mind. I thought Tabitha did as well. Clearly, I was mistaken.”
“I know Mr.Milton was very dear to you.”
“He was. But as dear as he was to me, he was often foolish, often selfish. Francis made several questionable decisions when he was young, but he was still my husband, and I had a choice to make. I could forgive him and do my best to move on, or I could stay in a place of anger. Those were the only two options, and I chose the one I thought I’d be able to live with.”
There was a soft, sad wistfulness to Mrs.Milton’s tone that Olivia had not heard before. “You cannot control what your husband did, any more than you can control what Tabitha did.”
“It turns out I was the fool. I had no idea she felt this way. All these years, and I had no inclination.”
“You’re not a fool. The way I see it, you made the best decision you could with the information you had and chose to take Tabitha at her word. You did not waver.”
Silence once again fell over them, and Mrs.Milton patted Olivia’s hand this time. “Where do I go from here, I wonder.”
“That is the beauty of it. You get to start fresh. A brand-new story waits for you, Mrs.Milton, and I, for one, can’t wait to see where it takes you.”
***
Had it really only been a couple of weeks ago when Olivia was here for the house party? When Mr.Romano painted her portrait, when she first tried champagne, and when she reignited her relationship with Lucas?
Life had resumed in the ensuing weeks, but in truth, it wasn’t the life she’d known. Something in her had changed during her time at Cloverton Hall. She’d arrived here with no other focus than to further her prospects and prove herself self-sufficient. That was still important to her, but now the future she saw for herself was shifting. She no longer saw only a future where she was responsible for herself and Laura. Her future now included Lucas.
Footsteps sounded, and Lucas appeared in the doorway. And he looked tired. His tousled brown hair was brushed carelessly to the side. He wore no tailcoat, his neckcloth was loosened about his neck, dried mud speckled his breeches and riding boots, and his shirtsleeves were rolled to his elbows.
Even after all that had happened, he offered her a lopsided grin as he entered the room. “What an ordeal that was. I’d have never thought Crane had that sort of fight in him.”
“I guess you would, too, if you’d just found yourself caught in illegal activity.” She motioned for him to join her on the sofa. “What do you think will happen now?”
“They’ve taken them out to the stables to guard them there for the night. The fog is too thick to travel to the village now, but tomorrow Wainbridge will bring charges against them. Tabitha has all but confessed, and even if Crane does not say a word, there’s a paper trail. After all, you have his ledger, and we will be able to match that up against the counterfeit pieces. What’s more, Wainbridge is paying to have a constable go to Wakes’s house and buildings. They will inevitably find evidence. Maybe they will find leads on other collectors he has deceived.”
“Wakes had such talent as an artist. Imagine being able to create such beautiful things. It is such a waste.”
“Ah, you know how it is, Olivia. Some collectors value antiquities because of what they represent. Others value them because of what they are worth. It’s a delicate balance... one that he obviously tried to manipulate.” Lucas wrapped his arm around her, and she leaned against him. He kissed her forehead. “It’s after midnight. You should go to bed.”
“How could I possibly sleep?”
“Well then”—he settled in, tightening his arm around her—“tell me what happened with Mrs.Milton.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and lifted her face to his. “It’s heartbreaking, Lucas. She did confirm that Mr. Miltonwas Tabitha’s father, and yet she really did love him. She wanted to preserve what she believed was his legacy, and yet it was that very legacy that caused such turmoil and brought his past back to haunt him.”
“I always find it ironic when we encounter situations like this. These chinoiserie pieces are so valuable, and yet they are no substitute for those we love.” He traced his finger down the side of her cheek, letting it linger on her chin. “I really am proud of you, you know. You’re brave. In fact, it’s almost scary how brave you are.”
She laughed. “It’s not bravery. I fear it is stubbornness. Or perhaps a reaction to injustice.”
“Whatever it is, it’s quite unusual.”
“Speaking of unusual events, I’m ready to put all of these unusual happenings and events behind us and return to what is normal.”
