“She only wants what is best for her daughter, as do I.”
The rhythm of her heart threatened to weaken Regina’s limbs, but she had to remain strong. At this point, having a suspicious father would be disastrous. “I know, Father.”
“As much as I miss taking you to men’s sporting events, it is time you think of your future.” He moved away from the table to sit beside her. He touched her hand as a frown claimed his face. “Regina, you must know that I am not a wealthy man. I cannot continue to buy you new gowns and accessories, along with your mother, and keep our servants employed. I have been a patient man, but…” His shoulders sagged. “My dearest daughter, we need to find you a husband this year.”
A different suffocation squeezed her chest, and she fought back the tears once more. This wasn’t a surprise, but she had wished her father would have kept it secret a little longer. He was correct, though. It was long past the time she found a husband. “Yes, I know.”
“Your mother does not know how bleak the situation is yet, so I ask you not to say anything to her.”
She nodded as a tear slid down her cheek. “I promise not to let you down. At the next ball, I will find a man who captures my interest.”
He gave her a tender smile and patted her cheek. “You are a wonderful daughter, and I love you with all my heart.”
“And I love you, Father.”
He stood, kissed her forehead, and walked out of the room. Once the door was closed, she allowed her feelings to pour out. This was too much for her to take. She couldn’t live like this. Twice now, she could have been caught in a scandal, which would have ruined her chances of ever finding a husband.
Seeing Wayne again was out of the question—unless it was to see him marry Jane on their wedding day. Although Regina still felt her friend deserved someone better, she had to admitthat Wayne was a sweet man. The only reason he was drawn to Regina was because of the poison. By now, that was out of their systems. But she couldn’t take that chance. She must have no contact whatsoever with the man. The memories would suffocate her and possibly tempt her, but she would not relent.
She exhaled slowly and wiped the tears off her face. It would be difficult, but she could not worry about Jane any longer. And the confusion from being poisoned would have ended as well. It was time she thought of her family. Marrying well would help her parents. She just prayed it would make her happy, too.
Regina left the dining room, and as she headed toward the front door, her attention moved to her father’s liquor tray, but more importantly, to the bottle of wine. In a flash, she recalled something that happened at the ball the other night when she argued with Jane. During the evening, there was only once when Regina had a glass of wine—but it was notherdrink.
She and her friend had been talking about how much spirits Jane consumed the night she had met Wayne. Upset, Jane handed her untouched glass of wine and said, “Since you believe I drink too much, be the considerate friend and finish my drink before it becomes a temptation.”
Regina’s stomach churned as the memory returned in full force. For a brief moment after drinking the wine, there was a bitter taste on her tongue. She had just thought it was due to being so angry at her friend. But now…
Had Jane given Regina the poison?
Although the prospect nearly had her losing her breakfast right here on the floor, she couldn’t think of any other way that she had been poisoned. She had taken a couple of drinks of punch, and yet nobody had touched her glass. Other people had drunk from the punch bowl, too, and if that had been the drink laced with poison, then the Montagues’ ball would have been disastrous.
All these years, she had thought Jane was her best friend, but what if the earl’s daughter hadn’t returned the same affections? During this past year, Regina noticed how selfish and irritable her friend was becoming, especially how often Jane had a glass of spirits in her hand. Could this have contributed to why Jane had thought it necessary to harm Regina?
Whether a cruel joke or done in spite, Jane had indeed wanted to harm Regina. She had no other choice now. She must say something to her former friend and bring the truth out once and for all.
Chapter Ten
Wayne yawned butthen shook the sleep out of his head as he focused on today’s task. He tightened his fingers around the reins and continued to the abandoned warehouse where Harold had been last night. Knowing the lord’s habits, Wayne suspected the man was probably still in bed, since it was early morning.
After leaving Regina’s place last night and returning to his room at the boardinghouse, he hadn’t been able to sleep. His mind tried many different ways to make things right with Regina without causing Jane to dislike her childhood friend. But ultimately, he couldn’t think of anything. Jane acted as if she was very much in love with him, and it was bad enough that she would despise him when he finally ended things between them. He didn’t need to tear the two friends apart as well.
For now, he had to put those women behind him and focus on finding proof. This was another thing that had kept him awake last night. His gut told him that Harold had planned all along to take Wayne to the tavern to put the poison in his drink. Why else would a wealthy lord take his soon-to-be son-in-law to a run-down tavern?
Harold must not have approved of his daughter marrying an untitled man, but he didn’t know how to tell his daughter no. The earl wanted Wayne to look like the uncaring person in this scenario so that Jane didn’t blame her father.
It didn’t matter who won or who lost. The end result would be Harold arrested and sent to the gaol. Jane would be crushed, and rightly so, but it was Wayne’s duty as a Bow Street Runner to bring justice to England any way he could.
As he neared the warehouse, he searched for the horses he’d seen yesterday. Thankfully, none were anywhere around the building. He sighed with relief and dismounted. He tied his horse to a post before going inside. Keeping his pistol where it would be accessible, he crept toward the spot where he had noticed the light coming from the floor.
There was no light now, but the spot was easy enough to find. The warehouse floor was filthy, yet the location of the trapdoor had been wiped clean, and there was a rope attached to the floorboard with which to lift the door. The hinges on the door creaked, but he continued to pull it open. Because the room was underneath, the area was dark.
Wayne glanced around to find a lantern, expecting one to be close by. How else would Harold and his men work in the dark?
Thankfully, a lantern stood on a crate nearby. It didn’t take him long to get it lit, and then he carried it down the steps leading underground. There was a rope on the underside of the trapdoor, but he wasn’t going to close it. Seeing the proof was all he needed to make arrests.
The moment he was in the cellar-type room, he noticed other lanterns. He lit two more, giving him more light with which to see. The room was larger than his bedchamber at the boardinghouse. Then again, this place would have to be large to hold the many crates and barrels scattered around. There were two long tables in the middle of the room and one small desk against the far wall in the corner.
Several canisters sat on the tables. Curiosity drew him closer, and he lifted the lid to the first canister and sniffed. Immediately, the overwhelming, bitter scent of almonds filledthe air. He jerked his head away and quickly placed the lid back on the canister. There was only one poison that he knew about that smelled so strongly.Laurel water. He knew this was used as a sedative, but if used in large doses, it would surely cause death.
