Page 93 of The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

I sent the letter by a servant. Only a minute later, before he could have even received and read my letter, I received a note from Lord Brookhaven.

If you choose not to keep the fortune as you have asserted, Joshua and Sarah will be taken care of. Lady Derringer will convey the plan and some particulars to you before the day is over.

The brevity of the note sent a pain through my heart. But of course, he hadn’t yet seen the way I’d poured out my heart and spoke of my feelings for him. It was difficult, but I had to push those thoughts away and concentrate on the very happy fact that he had promised to take care of Joshua and Sarah.

It was time to tell Millicent, Hattie, and Mrs. Drake that the fortune was no longer mine and that we must vacate the premises as soon as possible.

I found Millicent and Hattie alone in the sitting room. Thankfully Mrs. Drake was elsewhere, and I told them a shortened version of everything that had happened. I might regret it later, but I felt I needed to be completely honest with them.

They were both shocked but said very little.

“Please do not tell Mrs. Drake the truth about where the fortune originated. She is not likely to be discreet, and I’d rather people not imagine evil things about Lord Brookhaven and me. I will tell her about Mr. Sullivan and the woman coming and saying that the daughter of my uncle is alive and is demanding the fortune be given to her, as the rightful heir. All of which did happen.”

They both nodded, and I went to find Mrs. Drake. I told her as quickly as possible and took my leave before she could express thoughts and opinions that would only make me feel worse.

William rode his horse the fastest way to get to Sullivan’s home. He still wasn’t sure what he would do. He couldn’t take him by the neck and choke him, which was what he’d imagined doing, but he also didn’t want to wait for the constable. He’d confront the man himself.

It was a poor plan. He realized this before he even reached his address. If he confronted the man, told him he knew what he’ddone, Sullivan would be on the next ship to the Continent, or even to America. He would escape justice.

William turned his horse around and went to find the constable, Beckwith. He told him only that Sullivan had tried to trick Miss Robbins out of her fortune.

He could have told Beckwith that Sullivan owed him two thousand pounds and that he wanted the man thrown in jail for swindling him. But if Sullivan went to trial, he would no doubt make it known that William had blackmailed him into deceiving Miss Robbins.

Beckwith immediately rounded up two of his stoutest men.

Together, the four men went to Mr. Sullivan’s address and knocked on the door. No one answered. They knocked again. When Beckwith tried the door, it was unlocked. They went inside, the constable’s two men going around to the back door.

They called out, “Anyone here?” but there was no sound.

William and Beckwith rummaged around, opening cupboards and drawers, closets and cabinets. Sullivan’s clothing had been cleared out, the silver was gone, and the servants appeared to have cleaned out their spaces as well.

“He’s hiding out somewhere,” William said. “And he’s probably got someone watching the house right now. Let’s go. Come. Now.” He waved at the other men, and they quickly left the house.

When they were back at Beckwith’s home, the constable said, “Our only hope is that he didn’t see us raid his house. We’ll wait at Miss Robbins’s home tomorrow morning for him, and if he keeps his appointment, we’ll apprehend him there.”

Which is what he should have done. This had been a mistake, all because he wanted to confront the man himself.

William nodded grimly. He thanked the men for their time, then went to speak to the Bow Street Runners. If Sullivan was still in England, perhaps they could find him.

When he returned home, he found Miss Robbins’s letter.

His heart sank lower with every paragraph. It lifted a bit when he saw the words,I thoughtperhaps there was some affection betweenus,something tender andbeautiful, but it sank lower than ever as he read,but obviously I was wrong.

He’d ruined everything. How could he hope that she would ever trust him again?

The servants were busy packing up everyone’s belongings. Millicent and Hattie were also rushing around making sure they had everything for their trips home, while Mrs. Drake was always underfoot, clicking her tongue against her teeth and saying things like, “I suppose now you wish you had accepted one of the perfectly good marriage proposals. Perhaps Mr. Welton will still have you.” Or, “I wonder that Mr. Sullivan made such a mistake as to not find the rightful heir before giving you the fortune.” And, “Far be it from me to give advice, but you should return half of the young woman’s fortune and tell her you will keep the other half for your trouble.”

“Mrs. Drake, don’t you have your own packing to do?”

“Already done. I had an idea that I wouldn’t be here long, so most of my things were still in my trunks.”

In the midst of this slightly chaotic activity, a servant announced that Mr. Welton was asking to speak to me.

I sighed and was about to say I didn’t have time to see him, but Mrs. Drake, who was behind me, said, “Show him into the sitting room. She’ll be down in a moment.”

When the servant was gone, I gave Mrs. Drake a severe look.

“You need to hear what he has to say, now that you have no fortune.”