Twenty
The next morning Victor woke up not in the Whittemore estate as he had every morning since Arthur was killed, but in his own house. In spite of their repeated promises that they would sleep in separate rooms, Mrs. Richmond had put her foot down and told Victor to go home. Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot with her so quickly, he’d kissed Cordelia while she wasn’t looking and promised to see her the next evening.
It was a strange thing, caring what someone else thought of him so much. As Cordelia said, however, it didn’t seem like the old woman would be going anywhere anytime soon and the last thing he needed was for her to fight tooth and nail against their relationship. He’d never had such concerns before, and part of him lamented the knowledge that his life was never going to be the same. On the other hand, he would have Cordelia.
He was still thinking this over when he walked into his office and hung his jacket on the coat rack. Bradley came in with a cup of tea and a small plate of biscuits, and Victor raised his eyebrow as Bradley set them both in front of him.
“What on Earth is this?”
“Those biscuits I bought yesterday. I’d hoped to give some to Lady Whittemore’s grandmother,” he said. “She left before she had any and I didn’t want them to go to waste.”
“She’s not Cordelia’s grandmother,” Victor said, picking up one of the biscuits. It had a light purple frosting with a candied violet on the top. “Good work, Bradley. You’ve discovered the single most girlish biscuit in all of England.”
“I was buying them for women,” Bradley said, nettled. “I didn’t expect us to have to eat them.” Behind him, the door opened and Cordelia came through. She was wearing a different black dress today and Victor was already looking forward to seeing her in something more vibrant. Perhaps he would buy her something striking in red. Her sister had looked lovely in the color, and as they were so similar he had no doubt Cordelia would look even more beautiful.
“Perfect timing, my darling,” Victor said, standing up with a grin. “Do you like candied violets?”
“Well yes,” Cordelia said, looking a little confused. “They’re quite nice. Why do you ask?” Victor held the plate out to her and she blinked at it. “Is that one of Thonberry’s biscuits?”
“As a matter of fact it is,” Bradley said, giving Victor a meaningful look. “Do you like them, Lady Whittemore? I bought several.”
“I’ve never had one,” Cordelia said. “I was never able to send someone in time to get them before they were sold out. I’d love to try one.” She took one of the biscuits off the plate and took a small bite. “They’re wonderful,” she said with a smile. “The lavender really comes through. I don’t wish to be rude, but may I have some tea to go with them?”
“Of course,” Bradley said with a smile. “I’ll get you a cup.” He left the office and Victor came around the desk to kiss Cordelia.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you before tonight,” he said, then ran a thumb over her lips. “Not that I’m complaining. I’d much rather see you alone.” Cordelia blushed, then smiled up at him.
“I must confess that I was thinking the same thing. Any news yet about the murder?”
“Not just yet,” Victor said. “I’ve set a meeting with the chief of police for this afternoon to discuss the case further and tell him what we’ve learned about Miss Wright’s brother’s involvement. I wanted to talk with you before I did, though. I wanted to make sure you were all right with me revealing Arthur’s affairs to the police first.” He sighed. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, there are certain people who will look at you in a different light.”
“I’m sure there are,” Cordelia said. “But I’ve discovered that I don’t much care. Arthur made his bed, if it tarnishes his memory that’s not my problem. I’m finished with trying to cover things up for him. In fact, I had a great row with Mrs. Richmond this morning about you.”
“Really?” Victor looked at her, surprised. “Who won?” Rather than reply, Cordelia gestured to the black dress she was wearing. Victor roared with laughter and pulled her out of the chair and into his arms. “Don’t worry, my love. Before you know it, you’ll be back to wearing any and every color I can afford for you.” Before she could reply, he covered her mouth with his and pulled her as close as he could. He was pleased when Cordelia met his enthusiasm with plenty of her own, her kiss becoming hungrier by the moment. Victor let one hand creep up to her breast and she murmured pleasurably. He was considering rescheduling his appointments and taking her to his house so he could spend the rest of the day in bed with her, but they were interrupted by Bradley opening the door. Victor quickly sat as his desk to hide his arousal and Cordelia sat across from him again, her blush stirring his desire almost more than the kiss.
“There you are, Lady Whittemore,” Bradley said, setting a cup of tea in front of her. If he noticed anything amiss about them he didn’t say, but he did disappear rather quickly, which was unlike him. Cordelia cleared her throat and picked up the cup.
“Do you think there’s enough evidence to arrest him or bring him for questioning? I really don’t know how police investigations work,” admitted Cordelia, going back to the subject of her husband’s murder.
“It helps that there’s more than one person who can put him at the estate around the time of Arthur’s death and in the days beforehand. That should be good enough evidence to start with, and they can question him from there.” Victor shrugged. “I’m afraid your word alone wouldn’t be good enough since they still somewhat suspect you.”
“Patricia will speak for me of course,” Cordelia said. “She was the one who saw them together first and came and told me before I confronted him. And both Mrs. Richmond and I saw him leaving the party at the beginning, which would have been right about the time the murder occurred. Not to mention that she’d seen him at the manor before.” She sighed. “Do you think your Miss Wright will tell them that he was late to help her take care of their mother?”
“I’m almost certain she will. Even if he doesn’t confess, that’s a lot of evidence against him,” Victor said. “A jury will take one look at it and find him guilty.” He looked at Cordelia. “Since you’re going to be cleared of any charges, you’re going to be a very wealthy woman.”
“I don’t care,” Cordelia said. “Not really. All I care about is that this is over and we can put it behind us.” She looked up at Victor. “Are you really sure you’d want a scandalous woman like me?”
“Those are the best as far as I’m concerned.” Smiling, Victor got up from the desk so he could pull her close again. She felt good in his arms, like she belonged there. It was as though all his life he’d been searching for the woman who would fit them perfectly, and had finally found her. “I’m not sure I’m interested in living out in the woods.”
“I’m not either, to be honest,” Cordelia said. “I always felt so lonely out there.”
“What would you say if we visited London once this is all over? Perhaps we could find a place there that’s more what we’re looking for?” He brushed her cheek with his thumb and she blushed brightly, just the same way she had when they’d first met. Cordelia blushed so easily and he loved it.
“Between this and what you were saying yesterday about marriage, you’re going to fill my head up with all sort of ideas,” Cordelia said with a smile. Victor took her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her. He’d barely pressed his lips to hers when shouting from his waiting room made them both look toward the door.
“Wait here,” he said, letting go of her. He threw open the office door and rushed into the hall. Cordelia caught up with him quickly and Victor shot her a look of annoyance. “Cordelia, I thought I told you to stay in my office.”
“I’m not going to---“
“Nobody move!” There was a gunshot from the waiting room and Victor stopped and put an arm in front of Cordelia. Her eyes were wide with alarm and Victor put his finger to his lips and started walking quietly toward the waiting room with her behind him, both of them doing their best to keep silent. He knew there was no way to convince her to go back to the safety of his office and he didn’t want to waste time if someone had been injured.
When they reached the end of the hall, Victor saw the young man from the manor the night of the party standing in the middle of the waiting room with Miss Wright. His arm was locked around her, holding her in place, and there was a small pistol in his hand. The secretary was crying and her brother looked around wildly.
“Please, Sam, don’t do this,” Miss Wright said through her tears. “This is crazy.”
“Shut up!” His eyes searched the room and found another client, then Bradley with his hands up, and finally Victor and Cordelia. “You’re the one I’m looking for,” he said, pointing his gun at Cordelia. “It’s your fault this all happened!”
“What?” Cordelia started to step forward and Victor’s arm stiffened in front of her in an attempt to hold her back. She stopped but Victor knew he couldn’t keep her back for much longer. “What are you talking about?”
“If it wasn’t for you, we could have been together,” Samuel said, throwing his sister aside and advancing on Cordelia. “Arthur said the reason we couldn’t be together was because he had to stay married to you or lose his fortune. I needed that money! Our mother needed that money to live but he wouldn’t give it to me. He said he couldn’t do anything while you two were still married.”
“You killed him for that?” Victor fought the urge to laugh. The whole thing was so ridiculous. “Because he wouldn’t give you money?”
“I was going to kill you,” Samuel shouted at Cordelia, completely ignoring Victor. “Then we could have been together! Everything would have been fine if it wasn’t for you. I was going to hide in your room and kill you after the party but he found me first.”
“In my bedroom?” Cordelia looked at him curiously. “Then how did you end up in his bedroom? That’s where I found him.”
“Well, I…” He frowned and rubbed his head. “I’m not sure. Everything’s kind of hazy after that but when I came back to myself I was back in town cleaning myself up in a room over the pub.” While he was talking, his gun arm had lowered slightly and Cordelia glanced at Victor for just a moment, then stepped forward, hands raised in front of her.
“You didn’t mean to do it,” she said calmly. “I see that now. Things just got a bit out of control. I’m sure if you explain that to the police---“
“We’re not going to the police!” Samuel’s hand jerked up and he pointed the gun straight at her, making Victor’s heart catch in his throat. “You’re going to give me the money he wouldn’t, and then I’m getting as far away from this town as I can.” Cordelia kept walking toward him. “If not, I’m going to kill you like I should have done before.”
“All right,” Cordelia said. “Tell me how much money you want and I’ll get it for you. You’ll have to wait here while I go get it, though. They won’t like it if you come into the bank waving around a gun and asking for money.” She was maddeningly calm but it didn’t seem to be working.
“Then I’ll go with you,” he said. “I’m not giving you a chance to run away.” Tears were streaming down his face now as well, and Victor was struck by just how alike he and Miss Wright looked. “If he hadn’t been trying to protect you he would be alive. I didn’t just want the money, I wanted him. I loved him.”
“Listen,” Cordelia began gently, but he shook his head. Victor could see that his hands were shaking and his finger was unsteady on the trigger. If he didn’t do something, the boy was going to fire without fully intending to do so. Samuel wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
“No! I’m finished listening to you!”
“Samuel---“
It happened almost too quickly for Victor to realize what had happened. One minute there was a gun pointed at Cordelia’s head, then there was a crash and the air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee. The pistol fell out of Samuel’s hand as he stumbled forward, shouting as the hot coffee soaked into his shirt. Victor leapt forward and grabbed the gun off the floor while Bradley stood over the young man holding the handle of the now-broken coffeepot.
“Good work, Bradley,” Victor said in surprise. “I’ll never say a word against your brewing coffee again. You can have all of it you like.”
“That was very quick thinking,” Cordelia said as Miss Wright knelt on the floor beside her brother. Victor could see burns on the sides of his neck and the part of his chest he could see through his shirt and he pointed at Samuel.
“Go get the police and the doctor,” Victor said to his assistant. “I think it’s safe to say we need both.”
“Yes, sir.” Grinning, Bradley disappeared through the door and Victor stood over Samuel, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Miss Wright. “I’m sorry you had to see this.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” She looked up at Victor, and he wasn’t surprised to see fresh tears standing in her eyes. “He’s done a horrible thing but he’s still my brother.”
“It’s hard to say,” Victor said. “He planned a murder but ended up killing his lover instead, and I believe him when he said he didn’t intend to.” Cordelia came to stand beside him and he turned to her. “Are you all right, darling?”
“I’m fine,” she said with a somewhat shaky smile. “I’m glad it’s over.”
“Not quite,” Victor said as the door opened again and the doctor came in. He knelt down beside Samuel and Miss Wright, opening his black bag just as the police chief and the detective came in. “I’m sure those two gentlemen would like to apologize to you.”
“What the bloody hell happened here?” The police chief looked around the office at the broken glass, spilled coffee, and Samuel sitting up with blood running down the back of his neck while the doctor looked into his eyes. “Mr. Pembroke, is this young man one of your clients?”
“He’s my secretary’s brother,” Victor said, motioning to Miss Wright, “and the man who killed Lord Arthur Whittemore. He admitted as much before Bradley incapacitated him, and we have multiple witnesses who will put him at the manor both the night of the murder and earlier.” He looked at Christianson. “I hope you’ll forgive us for doing all your work for you.” The detective gave Victor the coldest look he’d ever seen and he smiled patronizingly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll make yourself look decent for your higher-ups when you go back to Elston. Men like you often do.”
“I think you’re going to be fine,” the doctor said to Samuel. “I’ll need to dress those burns but I can do that at the police station.” The chief of police nodded and grabbed the boy by the arm, hauling him off the floor. “I’ll go with you.”
“Mr. Pembroke, Lady Whittemore,” the chief said. “Would you meet us at the station with the witnesses you spoke of?”
“Of course,” Victor said. “We’ll have to fetch them from the Whittemore estate.”
“You should do it as soon as possible,” the chief said, glancing at Samuel. “I want this taken care of by the end of the day.”
“You aren’t the only one, sir.” Cordelia turned to Victor. “I shall fetch my handbag from your office, then we can take my carriage to the estate.” He nodded and she started back down the hall while he went over to Bradley and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Can’t believe you thought of that,” he said with a smile as Samuel was led away out of the office. “If I might make a suggestion, Bradley?”
“Yes sir?”
“Go to law school. You’re being wasted here as my assistant and it’s that kind of on-your-feet thinking and resourcefulness that a good barrister needs.” Bradley opened his mouth to speak and Victor shook his head. “Your father might not think you’re smart enough, but I have faith in you and will happy to put in a word with some of my friends.”
“But I like being your assistant,” Bradley said. “Who’s going to get your mail and go buy biscuits for your clients? I don’t want you to have to do everything on your own without me around.”
“I’m touched.” He looked toward his office and smiled. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around, to be honest. It depends on whether Cordelia wants to stay here or not.” There was the sound of a door closing and he leaned closer to Bradley. “Don’t mention that to anyone else just yet, though.”
“Of course not, sir.”
“I’m ready,” Cordelia said. “My carriage should still be waiting outside. We can fetch Mrs. Richmond and Patricia and be back directly.”
“Let’s go then.” Victor offered her his arm and she looked at it hesitantly. For a moment he thought she was going to decline his offer on the grounds of propriety but she smiled and took his arm. It seemed she was following his example where other peoples’ opinions were concerned and he was quite glad of it.
“Yes, let’s.”
Victor led her out to her carriage and opened the door before her driver could get there. He helped Cordelia into the cab, then got in and closed the door. The driver climbed up onto the boards and got the horse moving while Cordelia and Victor sat face to face. Victor took her hands and looked closely at her.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes,” Cordelia said, squeezing his hands. “A bit shaken up, I’ll admit. I’ve never even seen a gun, much less had one pointed at me. For a moment there I really thought he might kill me. I was hoping you wouldn’t let him do that, though.”
“I would have thrown myself in front of a bullet for you without hesitation,” Victor said. “Without you, my life wouldn’t be worth living.” He moved to the other side of the carriage so he could sit beside her. “Before you, I thought of women as little more than pretty playthings. I never wanted someone with a mind of her own, or bravery like you showed this afternoon.”
“I didn’t know I had it in me until I met you,” she said with a smile. “I’ve always been the good daughter, the one who didn’t want to speak out of turn or harm my family’s reputation. I suppose that’s part of why I agreed to keep quiet about Arthur. Not wanting to shame my family or how it might reflect on me to others.”
“That’s the complete opposite of me, I’m afraid,” Victor said. “I came to Greenley with a reputation and I had no intention of trying to repair it. I’ve never much cared about such things. That may make things a bit difficult for you if you want to stay here but I swear I’ll never give you reason to doubt me, Cordelia.” He reached up and cupped her cheek in his palm. She smiled and leaned against it. “I love you.”
“I’ve only heard one other man say that to me before. How different it sounds when you say it,” she said, her eyes shining with tears. “I love you too, Victor.” She leaned forward and put her arms around his neck, and he pulled her into a kiss. It was every bit as passionate as the ones they shared on the only night they’d spent in each others’ arms, but Victor doubted that there was enough time for much else before they got to the estate. The next time he got her alone, however, he was going to make their time in her bed during the party seem dull.
“Come on,” he said, smirking as he moved to the opposite side of the cab. “We should at least pretend to be proper if your Mrs. Richmond will be watching us.”
“You’re right,” Cordelia said, grinning as brightly as he’d seen her sister do. It was the first time he’d seen such an expression on her face and it somehow made her even more radiant. “The last thing we need is for her to have heart palpitations before we even get to the police station.”
“I’m more worried about what she might do to us,” he replied. “Especially now that she has that cane. You saw how she talked to the police, I can only imagine what she might do to you and me.” Cordelia laughed and he sat back against the cushions. “Have you ever ridden in an automobile?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “But I have been rather curious. Is it enjoyable? I’ve heard it can be quite dangerous.”
“Not if you’re with someone who knows what they’re doing. When I take you to London sometime, we can go for a ride in one with my friend Judge Perkins,” Victor said. “Who, incidentally, I should contact as soon as possible. I don’t suppose we’ll be needing his help with the first late Lord Whittemore’s will any longer.”
“No, I suppose not,” Cordelia said with a laugh. “It would have been nice to just be able to divorce him, though. He did try to save my life after all.” She looked out the window. “Somehow I just can’t be angry with him anymore.”
“It seems he did care for you after all.” The carriage hit a bump in the road and Victor grimaced. “It’ll be a while before Greenley even gets roads that would lend themselves to automobiles.” He sighed. “There’s quite a lot of modern life we’re missing out on being out here.”
“I’d love to go to London,” Cordelia said. “Living out here in the woods was beautiful at first but I grew lonely rather quickly. I wouldn’t even mind staying a while in London.”
“That settles it,” Victor said. “After all this is over, we’ll go to London. I’m going to buy you the most beautiful dresses you’ve ever seen and to hell with those mourning clothes. You never should have had to wear them in the first place.”
“Oh darling, thank you!” Cordelia hugged him tightly and Victor kissed her on the cheek, then pointed out the window.
“Is that your Mrs. Richmond?”
“What?” Cordelia sat back against the seat, a guilty look on her face, and Victor laughed. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with this woman, and as far as he was concerned it wouldn’t start soon enough. He reached out and took her hand, then kissed the back of it.
“Only joking, my love.”
“I’m not speaking to you any longer.”
“Of course you will,” Victor said. “You just need the proper motivation.” He pulled her over onto his lap and kissed her the way she deserved, not caring who saw them. To hell with being proper, he thought. I’d rather be in love.