Page 93 of It's All About the Duke
She looked at Bramwell again. He nodded to her as he accepted the glass from Rath. He promptly took a sip and said, “We’ve talked about this—me and Miss Everard. We decided there’s something we thought you should know.”
So maybe Mrs. Abernathy didn’t send them. “All right,” Rath said, making himself comfortable on the settee opposite them. “What can I do for you?
“I don’t want you blaming Marlena for being Miss Truth,” Miss Everard said in a soft, timid voice.
“I don’t,” Rath said, and knew it was true. “She was young, rash, and bold enough to try anything.”
“But there are other things about why she did it that you don’t know,” Miss Everard continued. “She wouldn’t tell you because she would be breaking a promise she made to Veronica. She didn’t want to do that.”
That had his attention. “What things?”
“Veronica hasn’t always been the way she is now.” She glanced at Bramwell again, and he nodded again. “She didn’t used to be nervous and full of despair and sometimes spending days in bed. During her first Season she was beautiful, happy, and enjoying her life. Many beaus sought her hand.”
Rath noticed that Miss Everard’s countenance changed when she was talking about her sister. She smiled and seemed to get a little color in her cheeks.
“She was the belle of almost every ball she attended,” Miss Everard continued. “Our father was told to expect several offers from very suitable gentlemen to come for her hand. But then the scandal of the secret admirer letters came out—” Miss Everard’s smile faded and her voice turned soft again. “A prank, some called it. But it was more than that to Veronica.”
Miss Everard stopped, took a sip from the glass, and sucked in another deep breath as she settled her gaze back on Rath. “After that no offers ever came for her hand. Our father went to one of the gentlemen to ask why. The man said Veronica was so lovely, he’d thought she’d be above wanting a secret admirer. That had been one of the things that drew him. But then he’d discovered that she was like all the rest, so he wouldn’t be offering for her after all. No other gentlemen did, either. Fearing she might be left like a dried weed on a shelf, she accepted Mr. Portington’s offer. He was older. Studious and had agood allowance. She thought she would have children to fill her life and make her happy. And she was accepting of her life the first year or two of her marriage.”
Rath swallowed hard. It wasn’t easy sitting quietly and letting this young lady tell him to his face how one of the ladies had suffered because of those damned letters.
“But Mr. Portington started buying more and more things. Papa passed and I moved in with them. The house became crowded. There wasn’t enough money to pay for coal and food. Mr. Portington kept saying everything would be fine. But it wasn’t. Veronica became very unhappy. She had hoped to one day have a babe to love, but Mr. Portington—”
Miss Everard looked to Bramwell once more. “Mr. Portington gave up the marriage bed. He became more interested in adding to his fossil collection than his wife, his home, or his financial status. Now Veronica has no love, no children, and she never will because he forces her to sleep in the room with me.”
Damnation.
Her words came faster. “Marlena thought, if she could show Veronica that someone had sought revenge against you and the others, it would help her not be so depressed and sink into despair, but by the time we realized the scandal sheet wasn’t going to help Veronica with that, she and I had become dependent on the money it brought in to keep us in our house. Marlena never took a pence from the scandal sheet or the book. She gave it all to us. All she’s ever done is help us. Please don’t be mad with her. She wanted to end it after the first Season. She only kept doing it to help us so we wouldn’t have to give up our home.”
“Thank you for telling me this, Miss Everard. I admit that Miss Fast gave me few details. I have a different and better understanding of this after listening to you.”
Rath watched her swallow hard before saying, “Veronica doesn’t know I’m here. She wouldn’t like that I’ve told you about her marriage. She doesn’t want anyone to know there’s any trouble or that she shares my room instead of her husband’s. It would shame her. I wanted you to know how her life has been affected. Marlena doesn’t know I’m here, either. Just Mr. Bramwell.”
“I won’t say a word about your visit.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s not all, Your Grace,” Mr. Bramwell said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“Go on,” Rath said to the shaky young man.
Bramwell rose, downed the brandy, and winced. He placed the empty glass on the table in front of him and said, “Miss Fast wouldn’t tell you, and I appreciate her honor but for her sake you need to know I am the man who started the rumor in White’s that night about the Duke of Griffin’s sisters, and I’d do it again. I don’t regret it.”
Rath rose, too. His hand tightened on his glass. “Those are troubling words, Mr. Bramwell.”
“I stand by them. I wanted to confront you earlier and tell you, but I couldn’t. I promised Eugenia, Miss Everard, that I wouldn’t. I couldn’t betray my promise to her.” He looked at her and gave her a hint of a smile. “She’s too important to me.” His attention returned to Rath. “Because she is confessing, I asked her if I could as well.”
Rath looked at the thin slip of a man who was so frightened, it seemed even his eyeballs were shaking. “You are a tradesman, are you not? How did you get into White’s?”
“I am not a member of Society but Mr. Portington made arrangements for me to enter White’s with him. He wasn’t aware of what I wanted to do. When Eugenia told me what she and Miss Fast were doing I wanted to help.I asked Mr. Portington if he could get me into White’s as I’d never been and always wanted to go. It wasn’t a place he’d frequent often but he agreed. When we were leaving I spoke loudly so others could hear me. I said, ‘The Rakes of St. James always get away with everything. They’ve never had to pay a price for their scandalous behavior years ago, and it’s time they did.’ Mr. Portington mumbled something about I should speak lower and be careful what I said. But I spoke even louder and added, ‘Wouldn’t it be fitting if something happened to ruin the Duke of Griffin’s sisters’ first Season.’”
Bramwell reached over and took the glass from Miss Everard, finished off her sherry, and placed the glass by his. She rose to stand beside him. “Now that you know, you can do your worst to me. I’m ready. Take my business, challenge me to a duel, or take my life if you want for what I’ve done to the Duke of Griffin’s sisters. I won’t be apologizing for what I did to help Eugenia and Miss Fast.”
Rath leaned forward and grabbed Bramwell by the neckcloth and pulled him up to his face. Miss Everard gasped and whispered for Rath to please let go of him.
“You put Griffin’s sisters in danger,” Rath said in a voice that was low and meant to strike fear. “Physical danger.”
“I’m sorry for that,” Bramwell struggled to say.
