“You gave her laudanum,” Oliver barked, “that’s why she’s fast asleep.”
“Only to help her get the rest she needs,” Emilia said. “Laudanum won’t do her or the babe any harm.”
“Not in small amounts but you gave her too much. I saw remnants of the powder in the cup. How dare you administer medication to my wife? You’re not a doctor.”
“Oh please, mothers give laudanum to ease their children’s ailments all the time. Even infants are given laudanum. It can’t do her any harm.”
“That’s not the point!” Oliver ran a hand through his hair. Losing his temper wasn’t going to help Kate. “I want you to leave this house.”
“You will throw me on the street? Your own cousin.”
“I would if it weren’t for Kate.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a banknote. “But seeing as she loves you, I will have my driver escort you to an inn until I can find you suitable employment of some type.”
“Employment?” She spat out the word as if it were poison.
“Yes, as a companion to an elderly lady or some such respectable job that will give you food and shelter.”
“I think you are mistaken, my lord,” she said, snatching the banknote. “I don’t want your charity. I want my own house and a fortune to go with it.”
“I realize you have been through a very traumatic experience, but I hardly think it wise for you to come into my home and make demands, Miss Harrington. Do not presume to take advantage of my generosity.”
“I think you misunderstand our positions.”
“How so?” Oliver clasped his hands together to keep himself from reaching out to the woman. He wanted to grasp her by the shoulders and shake her.
“You seem to be forgetting that I know that Kate’s babe is not yours.”
Oliver narrowed his eyes. “You would ruin the life of your deceased brother’s child?”
She smirked. “My brother was a fool. He allowed Kate to trick him and seduce him.”
“So, you want me to pay you in exchange for your silence,” Oliver said through gritted teeth.
“Exactly. Fund the lifestyle I want, and this will all go away. No one will know your child is illegitimate.”
“I would have taken care of you, let you live with us, and have food and clothing without question. But that wasn’t enough for you,” he growled. “You threaten blackmail. But I’ll have you know—no one will believe you,” Oliver said. “I am an earl and Kate is my wife. You can’t prove anything.”
“They will believe me. Why else would your wife have auctioned herself off for marriage at a notorious gaming den? Only a woman in dire circumstances would do such a thing.”
Oliver’s felt the blood drain from his face. “How do you know that?” He froze, a sudden memory of Lady Ashworth’s ball coming into his mind.That is where I saw her—at the ball,standing next to Middlemarch. That snake Middlemarch will rue the day he crossed me and the Black Widow of Whitehall.
“I want you out of my house!” Oliver snapped.
“Indeed,” she said, folding the banknote into the bosom of her dress. “And you needn’t bother with an escort, I will call a hansom to take me to a friend’s house. I’m not staying at an inn like some commoner.”
“A friend? I wasn’t aware you had any friends in London. Except, now that I think about it without friends in high places, how on earth did you get an invitation to Lady Ashworth’s ball? Could you have been the guest on Lord Middlemarch, perhaps?”
Emilia’s lips curled into a pernicious smile. “As long as you keep paying me, your dear Kate won’t have anything to worry about. But if you fail to cooperate, all of London will hear about the Earl of Knox’s soon-to-be bastard.”
“She’s breathing normallyand her heart sounds strong. She’s not in any distress, so I think there is no harm done. As long as it was only laudanum. Did you check the cup?”
“Yes, I tasted the contents. It was laudanum, and quite a lot of it.”
“In that case I wouldn’t worry. She’ll likely sleep through the night and wake up feeling refreshed tomorrow. But if you’re concerned, have someone sit with her and monitor her breathing.”
“Thank you, Doctor. And what about the babe, does all look well?”
“All is fine. The child will likely get a good night’s rest too.”
