Judith clasped her hands tightly together. Her jaw twitched. “Of course.”
“Say what you feel you need to say. You can stay the night and return to London tomorrow.”
Judith’s mouth curved bitterly. “Gracious, as always.”
He called on his willpower and managed to control his temper. “Come now, there is no need for false politeness between us, Judith. We have both understood each other very well, right from the start.”
The blood drained from Judith’s cheeks but she held on to her composure. “You are right. I came here because of Beth. The very last thing I want to do is plead with you, Lucas, but I will get down on my knees if it will do any good.”
“What do you want from me?”
“You know as well as I do that she has refused three very fine young men of good families in the past year.”
“What of it?”
“She has declared that if she cannot marry Charles Rushton, she will not wed anyone.”
“She did say something to that effect. I believe he is an expert on antiquities and dead languages. You know she has always been interested in such matters.”
“Beth is interested in a great many subjects. What does that signify?”
“I believe Beth feels she and Mr. Rushton are intellectually compatible and that they have a great deal in common.”
Judith’s hand tightened into a small fist. “Such things have nothing to do with marriage.”
“I realize that you feel that marriage is a business arrangement.”
“Don’t you dare patronize me. For a woman that is precisely what it is, a business arrangement.”
It was pointless to try to conduct a civil, rational conversation with Judith, Lucas reminded himself. He should know that by now. Nevertheless, he had to make some attempt, if only for Beth’s sake.
“Beth is an intelligent, sensible young woman,” he said. “I suggest that you let her make her own decision because I am sure that she will do so, regardless.”
“Young women are rarely sensible when it comes to marriage.”
“Is there something specific about Charles Rushton that you find objectionable?”
“For heaven’s sake, he hasn’t got a penny to his name,” Judith said, exasperated.
“Are you certain of that?”
“Yes, of course I’m certain. I had Miller look into his finances when I realized that Beth was starting to spend far too much time in museums in Rushton’s company. The man is barely squeaking by on a small income from some investments left to him by his grandfather. He can scarcely support himself, let alone a wife, and he has no prospects whatsoever. It is obvious that he is a fortune hunter.”
“Even if what you say is correct, what do you expect me to do about it?”
“You must make it clear to Beth that you forbid the marriage.”
“Do you really think that would stop her? If anything, it would probably have the opposite effect. She is far more likely to make a runaway marriage if she concludes that we are all against her.”
“Then you must speak to Rushton.” Judith rose from the chair. “You control the money in this family. He knows that. If you make it clear that you are opposed to the marriage and that Beth will be cut off if she marries against your wishes, I’m sure he will disappear.”
Lucas got to his feet. “What if you are wrong about Rushton, Judith? What if he does love Beth and she loves him?”
“I doubt very much that I’m wrong. But even if it transpires that I am, it makes no difference. Love is a frail, fleeting and unreliable thing. It cannot be relied upon to sustain two people for a lifetime. I do not want Beth to discover that the hard way.”
“As you did?” he asked.
Fury mixed with old pain glittered in Judith’s eyes. “How dare you, Lucas?”
Regret welled up inside him. He found it difficult to feel deep sympathy for Judith, but there were lines that should never be crossed. He had just done that and he did not like himself very much for it.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. He crossed the room to open the door. “That was uncalled for.”
“Yes, it was,” she said. “It is quite unnecessary to remind me of my own past. You may believe me when I tell you that I have never forgotten it. Indeed, I think about it every day of my life.”
“I am well aware that your marriage to my father did not bring you much in the way of happiness. But do you really want to force Beth into the same sort of loveless match?”
“No, of course not. But with her advantages there will be other suitors. She will find another, more suitable young man. Unlike me, she will have a choice.”
Judith swept past him through the doorway and out into the hall.
He closed the door and went back across the room to contemplate the gardens through the vine-clad windows. Judith’s words seemed to echo in the silent room. Unlike me, she will have a choice.
He stood there for a long time, thinking of what he had done that morning. By announcing the engagement to the crowd that had awaited them outside the maze, he had effectively taken away Evangeline’s right to make her own choice. Now it seemed that she was in something of a panic. She had gone through an extraordinary series of dangerous events in the past few days, events that had taken a toll on her nerves.
She needed time, he thought, time to see that marriage to him was the right thing for her, for both of them.
He ought to woo her. She deserved that much. But how did a man accomplish a proper courtship when he was trying to keep his lady from being murdered?
Twenty-five
Evangeline was in the parlor, finishing a cup of tea with Beth and Florence and enjoying the afternoon sunshine that streamed through the windows, when Judith arrived in the doorway.
The parlor was situated on what Evangeline had come to think of as the sunny side of the house, the side that faced away from the walled gardens. The warm light would not last much longer. In another hour the sun would begin to disappear behind the dense woods, creating an early summer twilight around the abbey.
“Miss Ames,” Judith said. “I was hoping to find you here.”
“Mrs. Sebastian,” Evangeline said. “Please join us.”
Beth picked up the teapot. “Do sit down and have some tea, Mama.”
“Yes, Judith, have some tea,” Florence urged. “You look as if you need a bit of fortifying. I understand, believe me. I vow, the atmosphere of this place is very hard on the nerves. It was always unpleasant in the past, but now it is more distressing than it ever was.”
“I know what you mean,” Judith said quietly.
“Last night I took a double dose of my special sleeping tonic but I got very little rest,” Florence continued. “I finally fell asleep just before dawn, only to be awakened a short time later by all the commotion caused by the discovery that Lucas and Miss Ames had vanished. Really, this entire visit has been too much.”
“Aunt Florence has just told us that she intends to leave in the morning,” Beth explained.
“It is clear I am no longer needed here and I really cannot take any more of this place,” Florence said. She shuddered. “Rose is upstairs packing. We will take the morning train to London tomorrow.”
“I wish to speak in private with Miss Ames,” Judith said. She looked at Beth and Florence. “Do you mind leaving us for a time?”
Florence gave her a searching look and then glanced at Evangeline. Comprehension flickered in her eyes. She put down her cup.
“Not at all,” she said. “I shall go upstairs and try to nap.”
She rose and swept out of the room.
Clearly relieved to be dismissed, Beth set the pot down and jumped quickly to her feet.
“I’m off to the library,” she said. “I was just taking a short break.”
Judith looked blank. “From what?”
“Tony and I are assisting Lucas with some research.”
Judith frowned. “What sort of research does he want you to d
o?”
“We are reading through Uncle Chester’s last journals to see if we can find the names of any of his colleagues who many have visited here at the Gardens in recent months.”
“What on earth for?”
Beth paused in the doorway. “Haven’t you heard? Lucas thinks Uncle Chester was murdered.”
Judith’s frown turned to horror. “Dear heaven.”
“Uncle Chester’s housekeeper, Mrs. Buckley, might have been another victim, as well,” Beth said. “There were intruders on the grounds last night. Evie and Lucas encountered them in the gardens and were nearly killed. Mr. Stone was knocked unconscious.”
“No, please.” Stricken, Judith more or less collapsed onto one of the chairs. “Not more murders. Not here. What is wrong with that man? I swear, he is obsessed with death.”
“Evie can explain,” Beth said. “I must return to the library. Lucas is very impatient for the answers. Naturally he’s afraid that the murderer might escape.”
She rushed out into the hall. Evangeline waited until the patter of rapid footsteps had faded. Then she picked up the teapot and poured tea for Judith.
“Thank you,” Judith whispered. She picked up the cup with a shaky hand, swallowed some tea and set the cup down with great care. “How dare he involve Beth and Tony in one of his dreadful investigations.”
“To be fair, Lucas was not inclined to do so. It was my idea. Beth and Tony seem quite enthusiastic about the business, though.”
“Of course,” Judith said faintly. “The twins have always considered Lucas’s dreadful little hobby exciting.”
“There appears to be no danger involved,” Evangeline said quickly. “They are simply reading the journals and making some notes.”
“You do not understand. No one does.” Judith sounded oddly weary.
“What don’t I understand?” Evangeline asked.
“I knew from the start that he loathed me.”
“Who? Lucas?”
“Yes, Lucas. He was only three years younger than me, barely fifteen when I married his father. “He terrified me from the beginning. Such a strange young man. I was convinced that he was mentally unstable. After the twins were born, I refused to let him anywhere near the babies.”
“You can’t possibly have believed that Lucas would have been a danger to you or the children.”
“In those days I could not be sure that anyone was safe around Lucas. His behavior became increasingly bizarre. He was reclusive. He spent hours locked in his room with his books. On the occasions when he did emerge, he looked as if he had barely slept. When he was away at school I could sleep but whenever he was in the house I lay awake until he left the house at night to prowl the streets. He seldom returned before dawn. I was so relieved when he moved into lodgings of his own.”
“I see.”
“I learned that his midnight forays into the streets did not stop. I heard the servants talking. There were rumors that Lucas disappeared more and more often into the night and that sometimes he returned with blood on his clothes.”
“How did the servants in your house discover such a thing?”
“Because he took Paul, one of the footmen, with him when he moved out,” Judith said grimly. But after a month or two, Paul quit Lucas’s service and asked my butler if he could have his old post back. After he was rehired he confided to some of the other members of the staff that he was afraid Lucas might be involved in black magic.”
“Lucas was coming into his paranormal talents. His psychical powers are quite strong. They could have easily overwhelmed a young man. He was struggling to control his new senses and in the process he no doubt behaved in an unconventional fashion.”
“Unconventional does not touch it, Miss Ames. There was blood on his clothes, I tell you.”
“Because he had begun to investigate murders with his talent,” Evangeline said gently. “I’m sure that crime scenes are often bloody.”
“You speak of the paranormal so casually, Miss Ames.” Judith’s jaw clenched. “I realize it’s fashionable to attend séances and psychical readings, but please bear in mind that to many of us that sort of thing is nothing but occult, superstitious nonsense.”
“Paranormal energy has nothing whatsoever to do with the occult or superstition,” Evangeline said. “It is just energy.” But she knew that she was wasting her breath. “Did Lucas’s father realize that his son was troubled and seeking answers?”
Judith made a soft little sound of disgust. “George was useless. He would not listen to my concerns about Lucas. Actually, he did not pay much attention to anyone, including his own son. He was rarely home and when he was, he secluded himself in his study with his books on ancient Egypt and Rome. Occasionally he wrote papers for journals no one read. But most of the time he was off excavating some archaeological site in a foreign land. Three years after our marriage he died on one of the expeditions. The walls of a tomb he was excavating collapsed on him.”
“What of Lucas’s grandfather?”
“He was certainly more of a father to Lucas than George ever was, but I know that Lucas’s claims of paranormal talent alarmed him. He worried about the taint in the bloodline, you see.”
Evangeline tightened her grip on her cup and managed to keep her voice steady with an effort. “Psychical talent is not a taint in the blood.”
“That is your opinion. All I can tell you is that I was aware that Lucas’s grandfather had some concerns about his grandson’s mental stability. In the end, however, he acknowledged that Lucas was very shrewd when it came to managing the Sebastian investments. He made Lucas his sole heir. Lucas has had complete control of the family fortune for years.”
“I have the impression that your marriage to Lucas’s father was not what anyone would call a love match.”
Judith’s mouth twisted. “Is there any such thing? I married George Sebastian for the usual reasons. My parents had no money. All I had to recommend me was my youth and my looks. George and my father were colleagues. Both of them were obsessed with archaeology. Shortly after Lucas’s mother died, my father suggested to George that I would make an excellent wife. George considered that to be an extremely convenient solution to his problem.”
“What problem?”
“George had discovered that he needed someone to oversee his household,” Judith said, her tone very dry. “He was having some difficulty retaining housekeepers—in part, I suspect, because of Lucas. Whatever the reason, George and I were married within the month.”
“So quickly?”
“George was not interested in an elaborate ceremony. He was occupied with plans for his next expedition. He departed for Egypt less than a week after we were married.”
“I’m surprised you agreed to the marriage.”
Judith looked toward the windows and then turned back. There was pain in her eyes but her voice was steady. “I told you, I had just turned eighteen. My parents insisted that I wed George. I had no choice. One does what one must. But that is all in the past. The only reason I am being so candid with you is because I wish to make it clear that I do comprehend your situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“I realize that you have been presented with what appears to be a golden opportunity to marry into the Sebastian fortune. But speaking woman to woman, I would advise you to be careful what you wish for.”
“As it happens, I am very much aware of the risks involved when one seeks to marry for the sake of fortune and social status,” Evangeline said. “I assure you that I have no interest in making that mistake.”
“I’m glad to hear that because I can promise you that such a marriage is sometimes a lifetime sentence.”
“But your husband died years ago.”
“His death changed nothing for me,” Judith said. “Lucas controls the fortune, which means that I am still trapped in my lovely gilded cage. What is worse, my daughter and son are trapped with me.”
“I don’t understand. Surely your husband
made provision for you and the twins.”
“George never paid any attention to financial matters. The only provision he made for the twins and me was to stipulate that Lucas was obliged to support each of us unless or until we marry. That has never been an issue for me. I have never had any desire to remarry. But I fear what Lucas will do when the time comes for Beth and Tony to wed.”
“Surely you don’t believe that Lucas will cut them off after they marry?” Evangeline said.
“I told you, I know him as you do not, Miss Ames. I have always been aware that he would one day find a way to take revenge against me for what he perceives to be my crime of marrying his father.”
“You can’t be serious. Perhaps Lucas resented you when he was fifteen years old. He had only recently lost his mother, after all, and his father was bringing a new woman into the household. But that was years ago and he is no longer a boy. He understands such things now. He knows you are not to blame.”
“You are wrong, Miss Ames. Lucas does blame me and he intends to punish me. What is more, he is going to do so in the way he knows will hurt me the most, through my children.”
“No, I cannot believe that,” Evangeline said. “Not for a moment. Even if he does harbor a grievance against you, he would never take it out on Beth and Tony. It is obvious that he is very fond of them.”
“You do not believe me because you do not know him as I do, Miss Ames. Lucas is planning to cut off both Beth and Tony. But first he must see them wed. Nothing would enhance his vengeance so much as seeing my daughter run off with her penniless antiquities expert.”
“I am certain that you have badly misjudged Lucas,” Evangeline said. “I think that Beth has a much more accurate sense of his character. She certainly does not fear him.”
Judith made a short, harsh, exasperated sound. “You need not point that out to me. Beth and Tony positively idolize Lucas. He was the closest thing to a father that they ever had in their lives. And I will give him credit for playing the role well. The twins are so naive, so innocent. They have no idea that Lucas has been biding his time, waiting until he can use them to exact his revenge against me.”