Disaster loomed, Elenora realized. Arthur would be furious once he realized that his butler was aware of his plan. He would likely conclude that his strategy to have her pose as his fiancée had to be abandoned. If he had no further use for her, she might very well find herself back at the offices of Goodhew & Willis before the day was out.
Well, there was nothing she could do but go forward. Ibbitts was a dreadful man. One way or another, he had to be banished from this house.
“You have half an hour to pack your things, Ibbitts,” she said very steadily.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Ibbitts rasped. “And you’re not going to be giving any more orders around here if you know what’s good for you. From now on you’ll dance to my tune, Miss Lodge.”
She stared at him. “Are you mad?”
“Not mad, Miss Lodge, just a good deal more clever than you realize. If you try to turn me out of this house, I’ll see to it that his lordship knows that I’m aware of his scheme.” Ibbitts snickered. “What’s more, I’ll tell him that I learned about it from you because you like to chatter in bed.”
“That would be a very dangerous thing to do, Ibbitts,” she said softly. “St. Merryn would not believe you, in any event.”
Ibbitts’s smile would have looked more appropriate on a viper. “When I tell him about the fancy blue ribbons on that pretty white linen nightgown of yours, I’m certain that he’ll believe every word I say.”
“You know what my nightgown looks like because you forced Sally to describe it to you.”
“Aye, but his lordship will assume that the reason I can describe it so accurately is because I’ve seen you in it, won’t he? And even if he doesn’t fall for that tale, the damage will have been done as far as you’re concerned. If he finds out his plans are no longer secret, he’ll abandon them. And that means he won’t have any use for you, Miss Lodge. You’ll find yourself out on the street about ten minutes after me.”
“You are a very foolish man, Ibbitts.”
“You’re the fool, Miss Lodge, if you think you can get rid of me so easily.” Ibbitts gave a coarse laugh. “But you’re in luck because I’m going to make a bargain with you. Keep your mouth shut about what you heard in this room a few minutes ago, and I won’t let on to his lordship that I know about your nightgown or his secrets.”
“Do you really believe that I will allow you to blackmail me, Ibbitts?”
“Aye, Miss Lodge, you’ll do as you’re told, just like Sally and Ned, and you’ll be grateful.” He chuckled derisively. “So grateful, in fact, that you’ll pay me my usual commission, same as the others do.”
She folded her arms. “Just what is your usual commission?”
“Sally and Ned give me half their quarterly wages.”
“And what do they get for that fee?”
“Why, they get to keep their posts, that’s what they get for it. You’ll agree to my bargain, too, because we both know that you’ve got a lot more to lose than I do.”
“Do I?”
“Aye, you silly bitch.” His mouth twisted. “With this face, I can always find another post. But after you get tossed out of this house, you’ll likely never get another respectable place. Expect you’ll end up lifting your skirts for drunken gentlemen in doorways around Covent Garden before the year is out.”
She did not bother to respond to that. Turning, she went out into the tiny hall.
Ibbitts’s low, cruel laughter followed her.
She found Ned hovering anxiously at the top of the kitchen steps.
“What happened, Miss Lodge? Sally says we’re going to be let go.”
“You and Sally will not lose your posts, Ned. It is Ibbitts who will soon be on his way.”
“Not him.” Ned shook his head sadly, resigned. “His kind always wins out in the end. He’ll see to it we’re both sent away without references for causing him trouble like this.”
“Calm yourself. His lordship is a fair-minded man. When I explain the situation to him, he will understand. You and Sally will be fine.”
I am the one who will soon be looking for another position, she thought. Regardless of how the problem with Ibbitts was resolved, there was no getting around the fact that once St. Merryn knew his secret was in the hands of a despicable, untrustworthy creature like Ibbitts, he would be forced to end the charade.
Well, she had known that the post was too good to be true right from the start, had she not?
Arthur stood in the stable doorway and watched John Watt use a pitchfork to shift hay into a stall. The young man looked a lot different than he had the last time Arthur had seen him.
When he had worked in George Lancaster’s household, Watt had always kept himself clean and neat. The shirt and pants he was wearing today were most likely the garments he had had on the night he’d run away. They had not stood up well to the demands of Watt’s new career. Six weeks’ worth of use in a livery stable had converted what had once been good clothing into little more than torn, badly stained rags.
Watt’s hair was tied back with a strip of cloth. Sweat streamed off his brow. But true to his nature, he was working hard, even though it was highly unlikely that his new employer was paying him anything close to the wages he had received from George Lancaster.
“Hello, Watt,” Arthur said quietly.
Watt jerked violently and spun around, pitchfork raised, face working in alarm. When he saw Arthur, he groaned.
“So it’s you, sir.” He swallowed heavily and slowly lowered the fork, as though defeated. “I knew ye’d find me sooner or later.”
Arthur walked toward him. “Why did you run off, Watt?”
“You must know the answer to that, sir.” Watt propped the pitchfork against the side of the stall, wiped his forehead with a gritty hand and heaved a massive sigh. “I was afraid you’d think I was the man who murdered Mr. Lancaster.”
“Why would I believe that?”
Watt scowled, confused. “On account of I was the only one in the house with Mr. Lancaster that night.”
“My great-uncle trusted you. So do I. And so does your Bess.”
Watt started. “You’ve talked to Bess?”
“She’s the one who told me that you had changed your name and taken a job here at the livery stable.”
Watt squeezed his eyes shut in pain. “I shouldn’t have told her where I was. But she was so anxious about me that I had to let her know that I was safe. I begged her not to tell anyone. She’s an honest girl, though. I suppose it was too much to ask her to lie for me, especially to you, sir.”
“You must not blame Bess. I had a very long talk with her a short time ago. She loves you with all her heart, and she would have kept your secret if she thought I meant you harm. She certainly didn’t tell anyone else, not even the Runner who questioned her.”
“A Runner questioned her?” Watt was horrified. “Oh, my poor Bess. She must have been scared to death.”
“I’m sure she was. But she did not tell him that she knew where you were. She only confided in me because I convinced her that I believe you are innocent.”
Watt gnawed nervously on his lower lip. “Bess told me that the Runner thinks I’m the one who murdered poor Mr. Lancaster.”
“I let the Runner go after he came to that conclusion. I knew that he was wrong.”
Watt’s eyes crinkled in astonishment. “Why are you so sure it wasn’t me who killed Mr. Lancaster?”
“You forget that I’ve known you for years, Watt. I am well aware that you aren’t the type to turn violent. You are a patient man, slow to anger and steady in your ways.”
Watt blinked a couple of times. “I don’t know how to thank ye, sir.”
“You can thank me,” Arthur said deliberately, “by telling me everything you can about what went on in the days leading up to my great-uncle’s murder, and by recalling for me every single fact concerning the events that occurred on the night of his death.”
An hour later, satisfied that he had learned a
ll he could from Watt, he sent the young man back to his sweetheart and promised him that he and Bess would both be given new posts on one of the Lancaster estates.
His next stop before returning to the mansion in Rain Street was at the home of the elderly man-of-affairs he had inherited from his grandfather.
He found the house hushed and dark. The servants went about with somber faces.
“The doctor says Mr. Ormesby won’t live out the week,” the housekeeper told him, wringing her hands in her apron as she led the way to the bedchamber where her employer lay on his deathbed. “It was kind of ye to come by to say farewell.”
“It was the least I could do,” Arthur said. He took a closer look at the woman and realized that she was getting on in years. This was likely the last post she would be able to obtain. “Did Ormesby arrange for a pension for you?”
Her eyes widened in surprise at the question. “It’s kind of you to ask, sir, but I’m sure he was good enough to remember me in his will. I’ve worked for Mr. Ormesby for going on twenty-seven years.”
Arthur made a mental note to make certain that Ormesby had left his housekeeper enough to allow her to survive her retirement.
Ormesby and the old earl had had a lot in common. Neither of them had been known for their generosity.
Elenora was putting the last of her personal possessions into the trunk when Margaret bustled anxiously into the bedchamber.
“What in heaven’s name is going on here?” Margaret came to a halt in the middle of the room and glared at the trunk as though it were the enemy. “Sally just interrupted me in the middle of a scene that I have been working on for two days to tell me that you are preparing to leave.”
“I’m sorry to say that St. Merryn’s grand scheme has come apart at the seams.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Ibbitts knows why I am here, and he made it clear that he will not hesitate to use the information for his own purposes. When his lordship learns that his plans are in ruins, he will no longer need my services. I thought I might as well pack and make ready to leave.”
“This is absurd.”
“Hardly.” Elenora sighed. “I confess that I’ve had a feeling all along that St. Merryn’s elaborate charade was doomed to fail.”
She straightened and surveyed the bedchamber, aware of an odd sense of loss that had nothing to do with financial matters. She did not want to leave, she realized, and not just because it meant that she would be obliged to go through the dreary process of finding another post.
It wasn’t the house she would miss, it was the little thrill of delight that went through her every time she walked into one of the rooms and saw Arthur.
Stop this maudlin behavior at once. You do not have time to indulge yourself in brooding thoughts. You must concentrate on the future.
“My dear Elenora, this is terrible,” Margaret declared. “I’m quite sure there is some mistake. You can’t leave. Please, do not make any hasty decisions until after you have spoken with Arthur. I’m certain he can straighten this out.”
Elenora shook her head. “But I do not see how he can continue to use me in his scheme as he intended. The entire project has been compromised by Ibbitts.”
“Arthur is very resourceful. I’m sure he will find a way to proceed with his plan.”
The sound of carriage wheels in the street drew Elenora to the window. She looked down and watched Arthur get out of the coach. He carried a large package under one arm, and he looked quite serious.
“The earl has returned,” she said to Margaret. “I had best go down and conclude this affair.”
“I will come with you.” Margaret hurried to follow. “I’m sure this will all come right.”
“I do not see how,” Elenora said, trying not to show any trace of the sad emotions she could feel churning deep inside. “His lordship has no further need of my services.”
“Allow me to tell you, my dear,” Margaret continued as they went down the stairs, “that when it comes to Arthur, it is best not to try to predict his actions. The only thing one can say about him with any great certainty is that once he sets a course, it is almost impossible to make him change it. Just ask anyone in the family.”
Sally and Ned stood anxiously in the hall, talking quietly. When they saw Elenora and Margaret, they broke off their conversation. They both looked stricken.
“What is it?” Elenora asked. “Has something else happened?”
“It’s Ibbitts, ma’am,” Ned said. “He’s in the library with his lordship this very minute. There’s no telling what lies he’s feeding to the master.”
Margaret glowered. “What makes him think that St. Merryn will take his word over Elenora’s?”
“I don’t know, ma’am,” Sally whispered. “But Ibbitts was smiling when he went into the library.” She shivered. “I’ve seen that smile before.”
15
Arthur leaned back in his chair and watched Ibbitts closely while the butler told his tale.
“I assure you, there’s no great harm done, sir,” Ibbitts concluded with grave sincerity. “I won’t breathe a word about your secret plans.”
“Indeed?”
“Of course not, sir.” Ibbitts raised his noble chin and set his broad shoulders. “I am nothing if not loyal to you.”
“You say Miss Lodge let the secret slip when she tried to lure you into her bedchamber?”
“Naturally, I did not accept the invitation, sir, even though she was dressed in nothing but a white linen nightgown trimmed with little blue ribbons. I take my responsibilities to my post very seriously.”
“I see.”
Ibbitts sighed. “In fairness, you should not place too much blame on Miss Lodge’s frail shoulders.”
“Why do you say that?”
Ibbitts made a tut-tutting sound. “A lady of her age and station in life has little hope of contracting any sort of respectable marriage, does she? Her sort has no choice but to look elsewhere when the urge takes ’em, if you know what I mean.”
The door opened abruptly. Elenora stormed into the library. Margaret was directly behind her.
“Do not listen to a word Ibbitts says.” Elenora strode briskly across the room. She was flushed with anger. “He is a liar and a blackmailer who takes advantage of the other servants. I have informed him that he must quit this house immediately.”
Arthur rose politely to his feet. “Good morning, Miss Lodge. He inclined his head to Margaret. “Please be seated, both of you.”
Margaret sat down immediately, her face bright with anticipation. “Well, now, this should prove interesting,” she said to no one in particular.
Elenora appeared not to have heard his suggestion that she take one of the chairs. Instead, she halted in front of his desk, her eyes snapping with anger.
“Ibbitts forces the other servants to give him half of their wages,” she announced. “That’s what he charges them to allow them to keep their posts. It is despicable. Sally and Ned told me it is also the reason why the housekeeper, the cook and the gardener left a few months ago, leaving this household woefully understaffed.”
Ibbitts gave her a pitying expression and shook his head. “I fear that Miss Lodge is suffering from an affliction of the nerves, sir. Female hysteria, no doubt. I’ve seen this sort of thing before in unmarried ladies of a certain age. A vinaigrette is sometimes helpful.”
Elenora gave him a look of utter contempt. “Do you deny it?”
“Of course.” Ibbitts drew himself up proudly. “If his lordship wishes to verify my innocence in this matter, he has only to question the servants. I’m quite certain that both Sally and Ned will tell him that I make no such demands of them.”
“Sally and Ned are both terrified of you, Ibbitts,” she said. “They will say anything you order them to say.”
It was interesting to watch Elenora when she was blazing with righteous anger, Arthur thought. Unfortunately, he did not have time to indulge himself in this scene today.
“Will you please sit down, Elenora?” he said quietly.
“In addition to his despicable treatment of Sally and Ned, Ibbitts eavesdropped on you,” she said.
“That is a lie.” Ibbitts whirled back to confront Arthur. “I would not dream of listening to my employer’s private conversations. It was young Sally who overheard you, sir, and came straight to me with the news that Miss Lodge was merely a paid employee. Naturally I ordered her and Ned to keep silent about your private affairs. They will do as they are told. I stand ready to assist you in your plans in any way I can.”
“Rubbish,” Elenora said through her teeth. “He is attempting to blame Sally—”
“Sit down, Elenora,” Arthur repeated. This time he put an edge on the words, making them into a command.
Reluctantly, she obeyed.
Ibbitts gave her a scathing look. “Begging your pardon, my lord, but did you examine Miss Lodge’s references before you selected her for this post?”
“It was your references I failed to examine,” Arthur said. “And evidently neither did Ormesby, due to his poor health.”
“I assure you, my references are excellent,” Ibbitts said quickly.
“Because you wrote them yourself, I’ll wager,” Elenora muttered.
“That is a lie,” Ibbitts hissed. He turned back to Arthur. “I will be happy to supply letters from previous employers, sir. I think you will find them all quite satisfactory.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Arthur reached for one of the volumes that he had brought back with him after paying his respects to the dying Ormesby. “I glanced through these on my way back here this morning. The entries for the past year tell me everything I need to know about you, Ibbitts.”
Ibbitts stared, uncomprehending, at the journals. “What are those, sir?”
“The household accounts.” Arthur opened the most recent journal and drew a finger down the page to the entry he had marked earlier. “It seems that as recently as last month, you regularly submitted requests for the payment of wages for a staff that included a number of people who are no longer employed here.” He looked at Ibbitts. “Among them are the housekeeper, the cook and the gardeners, all of whom evidently departed last fall.”