“Indeed. It seems Miss Harrington, as she is known to you, used to go by the name Fanny Birch.”
Kate inhaled sharply. “What? Do you mean she’s not Theo’s sister?”
“That’s correct. She was born in St. Giles where she worked as a courtesan for a few years. She was popular because of her beauty, and it wasn’t long before a man took her away with him to the continent, but that relationship didn’t last, and she soon found herself destitute in France. There she took up her profession again. And that is where she met your cousin, Mathew Harrington, whom she called ‘Theo’.”
Kate’s mind whirled as she tried to digest Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s words. She had thought Emilia was her best friend but, it turned out, she’d been a complete stranger. Worse, she didn’t know the man with whom she’d fallen in love. Instead, she’d trusted them both, given them her heart and even her body. What a fool she’d been! “Are you saying that Mathew and Emilia were lovers?”
“Precisely.”
Kate put her trembling hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. She shook her head.It’s impossible. All those months the three of us spent together. There was no indication—or perhaps, I was too naive to notice. Dear Lord, how is thispossible?Suddenly, it felt as though the world was about to open up under Kate’s feet. She swayed in her chair.
Oliver reached for Kate’s hand, and she seized it. The world immediately righted itself. He was her rock, her solid ground, and her safe place. He’d take care of her, always. She had no doubts about him, and she never would.
“But why did they pretend to be siblings? And why did Emilia introduce me to Theo—Mathew—and encourage our relationship?” Kate managed to say.
“For money, my dear. They didn’t have any, so Mathew needed to marry a woman whose fatherdidhave money—someone like you. And if you believed that Emilia was his sister and loved her as one too, she would have been able to live with the two of you. I suspect Mathew would have found excuses to stay away from your bed over time. And the less time he spent in your bed, the more he would have spent in hers. It’s not such an uncommon scheme, I’m afraid.”
Kate’s eyes filled with tears. She hadn’t wanted to believe the horrible things Oliver had told her about Emilia. She was sure there’d be a rational explanation. But now there was no denying it. Theo and Emilia had used her. And, worst of all, she’d been gullible enough to give herself away to a man who’d had no love for her.
“What an utter fool I’ve been.” She buried her face in Oliver’s chest as he put a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Mrs. Dove Lyon said. “There’s more to this story.” She paused to pour a cup of tea and Kate steeled herself for more bad news.
“I suspect things didn’t go as planned for Emilia.” The widow picked up her cup. “You see, Mathew wasn’t as disingenuous as you think. Although he initially planned to deceive you into marrying him, he later fell in love with you. And when you toldhim about the child, he proposed in earnest. This, of course, enraged Emilia—so much so, that she came up with a scheme to murder him.”
“Murder!” Kate jerked her head up. “How?”
“By causing the carriage accident that led to his death.”
“I—I can hardly believe what I’m hearing. Emilia was in the carriage with him. She could have died when the carriage overturned.”
“I don’t believe Emilia was in the carriage at the time of the accident,” Mrs. Dove Lyon said. “The story she told about surviving the accident and being taken in by a farmer and his wife sounded preposterous, at least to me. I made some inquiries, but no one has been able to locate this phantom couple. I propose they don’t exist. And when Lord Knox told me how Emilia put laudanum in your tea, a thought came to my mind. I believe she did the same to Mathew Harrington, giving him a flask of brandy laced with laudanum to enjoy on his journey—the drug would have caused him to become drowsy, resulting in a fatal accident.”
“Good Lord,” Oliver whispered, still clutching Kate’s trembling hand.
“Of course, this is only my theory. We need proof,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon said.
“How can we prove it?” Kate asked.
“We can’t, so you’ll need to pry the truth out of Emilia. I suggest you invite her for tea. Send her a note, telling her you miss her, and that you want to hear her side of the story. She’s bound to take the opportunity to try and sway you to her side and turn you against your husband, so I am convinced she’ll accept your invitation. Once you sit down with her, you will put my theory to her, which will enrage her and cause her to throw caution to the wind. When she realizes that she cannot sway you and has lost her control over you, she will want to punish you.And what better way does she have of hurting you by admitting to the truth? She’ll no doubt want to brag about how she outwitted you and Oliver. But what she won’t know is that Lord Knox and Magistrate Thomas will be in the next room, listening to her every word.”
“Magistrate Thomas?” Oliver said. “Can he be trusted to keep our secret?”
The widow put down her cup and, Kate was sure, fixed a stern gaze on Oliver from beneath her veil. “He’s a loyal patron and can be trusted to keep private, sensitive information out of the official report after Emilia is arrested for murder. He won’t breathe a word about your child’s legitimacy, nor will he give Emilia the chance to do so, that I can promise you.”
“She’s on herway up,” Olive said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Kate nodded. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life. I need to know the truth. And if Emilia is guilty, she should pay for her crimes.”
“Very well, then. But remember, Magistrate Thomas and I will be in the adjoining room. We’ll be able to hear every word you say, and if she becomes threatening toward you, we will be by your side in a matter of seconds.”
Kate straightened her shoulders. “I’m ready.”
Oliver kissed her and then left to join the magistrate in the neighboring room.
Seconds later, the butler opened the door to the drawing room and announced, “Miss Emilia Harrington to see Lady Knox.”
“Emilia, come in.” Kate worked hard to sound cheerful and welcoming as she opened her arms to her former friend though her stomach felt sour with disgust. “I’m so pleased you agreed to see me.”
