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Lark frowned. To think of Mr. Branok spreading rumors and injuring other people simply didn’t suit.
“If they were done anonymously,” she questioned next, “how could they know it was him?”
“I asked the very same question,” Uncle said. “Apparently, Mr. Branok slipped in small hints within each article for the men to know exactly who was writing such things. Furthermore, Mr. Branok did not deny his part in writing them when asked.”
Was no denial the same as a confession now? Or had Uncle’s source simply been exaggerating? “Uncle, I am unsure of all of this. Mr. Branok hardly seems the type to do such a thing.”
“Did we not both think the very same about Mr. Yates and Mr. Drake?” Uncle asked with a wince, his words softening further as he continued. “Who’s to say we are not doing the very same with Mr. Branok?”
Lark turned away. She had known from the start that Mr. Yates was hiding something. And she was still convinced that Mr. Drake was truly a good man inside.
As for Mr. Branok…
“In what way has Mr. Branok revealed himself to be untrustworthy?” she asked.
Uncle leaned forward. “The very fact that he is friends with Mr. Drake,” he whispered. “When a man keeps company with a fortune hunter, there is no telling what his limits are.”
“How do you even know they are friends?”
Uncle pressed his lips together. “My source has told me so. He has also alerted me to the fact that Mr. Branok is fully aware of Mr. Drake’s intent to marry wealthy and has even aided him in his endeavors, finding young women who are inexperienced in the ways of the world to fall for the scoundrel.” Uncle shook his head, leaning back. “I am sorry, my dear niece, but Mr. Branok is a deceptive scoundrel who has lied from the start.” He dropped his voice further. “Apparently, both men come to these balls to scope out potential females for Mr. Drake. I would not be surprised if Mr. Branok was the one who pointed Mr. Drake toward you all those weeks ago.”
Lark couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t believe it. The timing simply didn’t align, nor did Mr. Branok’s actions over the last few weeks. “How could Mr. Branok behave so innocently if he was not innocent?” she mused aloud.
Uncle’s voice softened. “Tell me, did you speak with him about Mr. Drake’s proposal?”
Lark hesitated. “I mentioned it without the use of Mr. Drake’s name.”
“And what was Mr. Branok’s response?”
The memory flooded her mind, filling her heart with confusion and despair. “He…he said nothing about him.”
Uncle gave her a sorrowful but knowing expression. “Can’t you see, my dear? Yet another despicable gentleman has managed to convince us of his feigned goodness.”
The weight of the world pressed down upon her shoulders as she stared out across the teeming ballroom. The heat from the candles produced beads of sweat upon her brow, and the noise from the hundreds of attendees grew louder and louder in her ears. She couldn’t breathe fully. She couldn’t think clearly.
Mr. Branok wasn’t capable of such deception. It was ludicrous. Preposterous. Unbelievable.
But when her eyes focused across the room, the crowd parted at just the right moment to reveal Mr. Branok himself speaking with none other than Sebastian Drake.
Lark’s stomach curdled. It couldn’t be true. They were not friends. Mr. Branok was not Mr. Drake’s assistant.
Or was he? Were they there together tonight, finding more women to capture in their web of deceit?
“The blackguards,” Uncle spoke from beside her, having spotted the gentlemen, as well. “I’ll confront them myself now.”
But Lark put a settling hand on his arm. “No. Uncle, I will take care of this.”
He pulled back. “You most certainly will not. I—”
“I will,” she stated firmly.
Without waiting for a response, Lark moved toward the gentlemen, feeling as if the world was speeding up around her, though her footsteps moved slowly, as if through sticking, wet mud.
Finally, she reached them. They both turned to face her in unison, eyes wide with surprise.
Neither of them said a word.
“So, it is true, then,” she stated. “You two are friends. You have been helping him.”
