The sounds grew a little louder, provoking an odd little flutter inside her rib cage. So it was, Charlotte admitted, an irony that emotion had—against all reason—somehow found its way back into her heart.
It was frightening.I know the pain and heartache of disappointed dreams.
And yet . . .
And yet Love in all its glorious permutations has taken hold of me.
Her lashes lifted, and Charlotte found Wrexford was watching her with a Sphinxlike stare.
In ways I can’t begin to define.
“A penny for your thoughts?” he murmured after coming to stand beside her.
“I’m not sure they’re worth a farthing,” she said lightly.
A tiny crease formed between his brows, but before he could reply, Cordelia set down her glass and cleared her throat.
“Is the evil really over?” she asked, placing a hand on her brother’s arm.
“It is,” replied Wrexford. “The ringleader and his henchmen have been apprehended. They won’t harm anyone else.”
Woodbridge let out a shuddering sigh. “I can’t begin to express my thanks.” He looked around. “To all of you, who risked your lives to save me from my own bloody foolishness.” His gaze dropped to the toes of his boots. “There aren’t words for what you did.”
“Actually, there’s a simple one,” said Charlotte. “Friendship. A bond that brings out strengths that we sometimes don’t even know we possess.”
Cordelia gave her brother a quick hug. “Your intentions were all for the good, Jamie. You were trying to save the estate from our father’s folly and ensure that our tenants wouldn’t suffer because of his spendthrift ways. That you trusted your friend David Mather is only to your credit—”
“Speaking of Mather,” interrupted Sheffield. “He’s on the ship, so perhaps the evil isn’t yet over.”
“Copley explained about Mather in his note,” said Wrexford. “Along with a number of other things.” He blew out his breath. “The details can all be parsed at a later time. For now, I shall try to explain it all in a nutshell.”
Tyler moved over and wordlessly refilled the earl’s glass.
“Like many younger sons, Mather had little money and was jealous of his wealthy friends within the beau monde. So he swallowed his scruples when Copley recruited him to find someone to draw into the scheme for Argentum Trading Company.”
“Which proved to be me, a gullible lackwit,” muttered Woodbridge in self-disgust.
“But it wasn’t just greed. Copley also used a bit of blackmail himself, forcing Mather to cooperate because of his past smuggling adventure, which was more of a youthful lark than any real malfeasance. However, Mather was never a real part of the conspirators,” continued Wrexford. “He was horrified by his cousin’s murder and realized that Annie Wright might also be in danger because of her friendship with Henry Peabody. And so he appealed to Copley for help.”
He paused for a sip of whisky. “Copley, as we now know, was being blackmailed by Sir Charles and was a reluctant part of Argentum. The murder also shocked him, and in his note, he said that he had begun to take steps to stop the whole scheme.”
“So, Copley did have a vestige of conscience left,” mused Charlotte.
“Not enough to admit that his façade of being a paragon of perfection was a fraud,” replied Wrexford. “But in the end, he did atone for some of his sins. When he learned that Sir Charles intended to murder Mather and Annie Wright, he arranged for them to take passage on an East India merchant ship. Right now, they are on their way to Calcutta, and Mather would do well to stay there and begin a new life. And given Annie Wright’s abusive marriage, I imagine she’ll welcome the opportunity to shed her old skin.”
“Perhaps not as happy an ending as the one for Lady Cordelia and Lord Woodbridge,” observed Sheffield. “But as Mather showed a concern for Annie Wright, I don’t begrudge him a second chance.”
“Most people,” said Charlotte softly, “deserve a second chance.”
“Thanks to all of you, that includes me.” Woodbridge drew Cordelia into a heartfelt hug. “I know how fortunate I am to have a sister who’s not only brilliant but also kind and compassionate to those who aren’t blessed with intelligence.”
Sheffield nodded. “Yes, you are indeed lucky, Woodbridge.”
Charlotte saw a faint blush steal over Cordelia’s face.
“As am I,” said Cordelia. “You didn’t lose faith in me, even when the evidence gave you reason to do so.”
“I think,” answered Sheffield, “that we all had faith in each other.”
