Game of dukes, p.15
Game of Dukes, page 15
He laughed, blew her a kiss and sauntered from the room.
Celeste didn’t return to her list once Toby had left her. She was more concerned by the brief fear she had seen flit through his expression at the mention of Frazer’s name and wondered why Phin’s very natural desire to consult with his uncle’s attorney should matter to a man who took so little interest in the running of the Abbey.
She heard the door to the library open and Frazer’s voice addressing one of the maids as she conducted him to the room that Celeste had prepared for him. On a whim, she waited until she heard their tread on the boards above her head and then slipped up the stairs herself. She concealed herself just inside the partially open linen closet door, conveniently situated at right-angles to Frazer’s door. She could see anyone who went into or out of that room, with little chance of being seen herself.
After fifteen minutes of no activity she began to think that she had got it wrong and that there was nothing sinister about Toby’s interest in Frazer. But some sixth sense prevented her from leaving her hiding place and she was rewarded when after a further ten minutes Toby walked confidently down the corridor, tapped on Frazer’s door and then walked into the room.
‘I knew it!’ she muttered, wishing she could hear what they said to one another.
Placing her ear against the door didn’t guarantee that she would hear anything, but would risk her being seen. The old doors were thick and little sound penetrated them. Besides, it was none of her business. She would simply tell Phin what she had seen and let him decide what action to take.
Thus resolved, she made her way back downstairs and tapped at the library door, wondering if Phin would still be in there or if he was now changing for dinner, as she should be. She received her answer when Phin’s deep voice bade her enter. She opened the door and found him and Mr Kline pouring over the books that Frazer had brought with him.
‘Celeste.’ Phin looked surprised and momentarily pleased to see her. But by the time he half rose from his chair he had his features under closer control again and his expression gave nothing away. She waved him back into his seat. ‘What can I do for you?’
She was annoyed with him for becoming more guarded in her company, even though it was probably for the best, and decided to repay him in kind. Keeping their relationship on a formal footing would definitely be sensible.
‘I thought you would like to know what I just observed,’ she said, thinking of declining the chair he waved her towards. But if she did that, he would be obliged to remain standing, looming over her in all his glorious male splendour, distracting her. ‘Toby just went into Mr Frazer’s room.’
‘Really?’ Phin shared a disbelieving look with Mr Kline. ‘Are you absolutely sure?’
‘Yes. I happened to pass by just as he went in. There’s no mistake.’
‘Did he see you?’
‘No, I don’t believe so. And he cannot have gone in there by accident. If he had, he would have reappeared immediately, but he did not.’
‘That is very interesting indeed, the more so since he just told us that he was unacquainted with Darwin and had had no dealings with him.’
‘That clearly isn’t the case.’
She made to stand but Phin stopped her by placing a hand on her arm. ‘A moment of your time if you please. I am trying to understand how things stood after my uncle died and the funds dried up. I am aware that Goddard remained until the last quarter day. What happened then?’
‘We were all in shock to begin with. No one seemed keen to take responsibility.’
‘Excuse me, but I should have thought that Darwin would have jumped at the chance to lord it over everyone.’
Celeste allowed herself a small smile and shook her head. ‘Frankly, he would not have known where to begin. My mother had dealt with all the day to day business and…well, I just took over, thinking that a more permanent arrangement would be made. Alice doesn’t want me here. She has always made it abundantly clear that she dislikes me, and if funds had been available I dare say she would have appointed a new housekeeper and sent me packing.’
‘It must have come as a surprise to her when she discovered the truth,’ Mr Kline said.
‘I’m afraid when that happened I turned the tables on her and made it clear that I was determined to leave.’ This time her smile was more genuine. ‘Not very kind of me, I know, but she brought it upon herself. Anyway, she was obliged to grovel and…well, I stayed and did my best to keep things ticking over pending your return. It was the least I could do to uphold the memory of those who had perished so senselessly.’
‘I got here as soon as I could.’
‘I told the others it would probably take the best part of a year for you to come back. The letter from Frazer telling you of your uncle’s death would have taken weeks, perhaps months, to reach you. And I assumed you would have to tie up your affairs in America before returning.’
‘You were right about that.’ Phin stood and glared out of the window, his back to her. ‘Were you aware that my uncle made some very risky investments in the years leading up to his death?’
She blinked at the broad expanse of his back. ‘No, I was not.’
‘The Abbey has always been a financial drain, what with the building being so old and always in need of attention. I know my uncle was obliged to marry an heiress in order to inject much-needed capital into the coffers. But clearly that was all taken up. Anyway, Frazer says he advised my uncle against investing so much in cotton and other dubious ventures, such as tobacco and sugar. The British were at war with America so returns were far from certain, but it seems my uncle was either desperate or senile, because he went ahead.’ Celeste looked astonished, prompting Phin to place an order signed by his uncle beneath her nose. ‘You see. Obviously, he did not write the letter himself, but that looks like his signature to me. I have compared it against other documents.’
Celeste studied the missive and felt a shudder pass through her body. With eyes widened by shock she looked up at Phin. ‘Your uncle did not sign this,’ she said.
‘How can you be so sure?’ Phin asked.
‘Because the note is dated two years before his death. By that point, he’d gained a permanent tremor in his hands that prevented him from writing much of anything. His secretary was long gone by then—another economy—and my mother wrote all his letters for him.’ She tapped the fingers of one hand against the papers she held in the other for emphasis. ‘This is not her handwriting, and even if your uncle got someone else to write this for him, it is definitely not his signature. I would stake my life on the fact. The only signature he could manage in his last years was barely legible, whereas this resembles the signature of the duke when he was a much younger man.’
Phin glared at her, then at Mr Kline. ‘You realise what this means, John?’
‘Of course. It confirms our suspicion that someone took advantage of the old duke’s dotage.’
Phin inhaled sharply. ‘These letters are written on duchy paper, so it has to be someone in residence. Alice or Darwin. I suspect the latter, especially since Celeste saw him going into Frazer’s room when Frazer denied having had anything to do with the man. But he would have required Frazer’s cooperation to pull off the deception.’
‘But why?’ Mr Kline replied. ‘What does he have to gain by biting the hand that feeds him, so to speak? He’s clearly an idle cove. If he was not, he would have done the right thing and taken control here, pending your arrival. Why risk rocking the boat?’
‘We might do better to ask what became of the funds. However, that’s a question we must defer for now. Time is getting on and we should change for dinner. Until I have decided what to do about the knowledge we now possess, I would prefer not to alert the guilty parties.’
‘Very well.’ Celeste stood. ‘If you will excuse me.’
Phin walked with her to the door and opened it for her.
‘Thank you,’ he said, his face so close to hers that she felt his breath peppering her cheek and saw a devilish light burning in his eyes as he regarded her. Unable to keep up with his mercurial changes of mood, she resolved to remain immune to his charm, but failed at the first hurdle when she felt herself instinctively responding to him. She was nothing short of pathetic, she told herself irritably, as she slipped up the stairs and into her room, her turbulent emotions thrown into complete disarray as the result of an intimate smile.
Chapter Ten
Phin had suspected Darwin of ulterior motives since first making his acquaintance—but finding out that his judgement had not been clouded by his dislike of the man didn’t get him much further forward. Suspecting Darwin of unlawful behaviour and proving it were two entirely different matters. John helped him to change in silence, both of them occupied with their own thoughts. He sent John off to attend to his own ablutions and finished dressing alone. There was no help for it. If he was to get to the bottom of things he required Celeste’s help, much as he would prefer to keep her out of things.
He went downstairs ahead of John and found Frazer already in the drawing room in close conversation with Alice. They broke off when they saw Phin, leaving him to wonder if Alice was also involved in the fraudulent dispersal of funds. Phin’s attention was claimed by Alvin who, predictably, wished to talk about horses, wanting to know how soon Phin would be purchasing more. Darwin and Emma entered the room together during that conversation. Phin watched Darwin in the periphery of his vision but he singularly avoided looking at Frazer until Alice introduced them.
‘You were not here, I think, Toby, on the last occasion when Mr Frazer called at the Abbey with his father. That was over three years ago now, and Mr Frazer has taken over his father’s duties since his death.’
Toby and Frazer shook hands. Emma looked disinterested and took a seat beside her aunt. Phin wondered if it was his imagination, or if the atmosphere really was as strained as it felt to him. Celeste joined them before he could decide, improving his mood considerably, and shortly afterwards dinner was served. The food was excellent but everyone seemed too preoccupied, too tense, to do it justice. Conversation was desultory and as soon as the ladies withdrew, Phin excused himself.
He waited in an alcove, one of many that decorated the upstairs corridors in the old Abbey. He wondered what their original purpose could have been. Homes for religious icons, he supposed. He and Matthew had found them excellent hiding places for their many complicated games. Once again they served a useful purpose as Phin waited for Celeste in order to involve her in a far more dangerous pursuit. He suspected that she would retire early, in preference to enduring the dull company provided by Alice and Emma. He was proved right when he heard her light tread on the stairs and stepped forward to intercept her progress as she turned towards her room.
‘Don’t be frightened,’ he said softly. ‘It’s only me.’
She inhaled sharply and placed a hand on her chest. ‘What do you want?’
‘Your help.’
She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Not here.’ He took her arm and guided her towards his own room. ‘Trust me,’ he said when she hesitated to cross the threshold.
She tutted as he closed and locked the door behind them. ‘Explain yourself,’ she said irritably. ‘I am tired and in no mood to play games.’
‘I apologise. I am not being fair to you.’ He took her arm again and led her into the sitting room, away from the intrusive temptation of the large double bed. She perched on the edge of the window seat and he sat across from her. ‘I have been trying to shield you from all the unpleasantness.’
‘What unpleasantness?’
He explained about his visit to Sir Richard and his opinion that the accident which had killed his family and her mother was actually no accident all.
‘You see!’ She behaved as though vindicated. ‘I told you as much.’
‘You did indeed, and I had been inclined to agree with you even before speaking with Sir Richard. Now I am absolutely certain that someone wanted them all dead. My difficulty is that I am at a loss to know who, and Sir Richard pointed out to me that I could also be in danger.’
She widened her eyes. ‘Because someone wants to possess the Abbey?’
Phin nodded. ‘I cannot think of any other reason.’
‘And you suppose it’s Toby.’ She frowned, considering the possibility. I wouldn’t put anything past him and I’m convinced that he colluded with Frazer to swindle your uncle. He told me today that he is not without funds.’
‘Did he indeed!’ Phin sat forward. ‘How very indiscreet of him. Why ever would he do such a thing, always supposing the funds came his way illegally, and we must assume that they did, since he is a younger son without means of his own.’
She flapped a hand. ‘Oh, he was trying to impress me. He doesn’t understand me well enough to realise that money is the last thing that will make the impression he’s striving to create.’
‘If he bothers you again, tell me and I will put a stop to it.’
She sat a little straighter but refused to look at him. ‘Thank you, but I can take care of myself. I am accustomed to it.’
Phin was not convinced. He had seen the manner in which Darwin looked at Celeste when she was unaware of it and didn’t like the fiery determination that fuelled his expression. He was the sort who would not be above forcing his attentions upon her if he could not coerce her with charm.
‘My point is, if our as yet unidentified enemy cannot get to me, he might set his sights upon an easier target.’ Phin said nothing more as he waited for the penny to drop.
‘Me?’ She appeared totally flabbergasted. ‘But we are barely acquainted. Why ever would anyone suppose that they could use me to bend you to their will?’
Phin shook his head, knowing better than to embark upon an explanation. ‘I am not prepared to take that risk.’
‘Then what am I doing sitting here with you in your bedchamber?’ She glanced through the open doorway to the bedchamber in question. ‘Well, almost. You are very fortunate that I do not harbour ambitions to…’ Her face flooded with colour and her words trailed off. Despite Phin’s concerns, he couldn’t help flashing a wolfish smile.
‘Ambitions to what?’ he asked innocently.
‘Oh, you know very well, you infuriating man! You are no longer Mr Phineas Webster but the highly eligible Duke of Suffolk. You need to remember that. Any other female invited into your bedchamber would…well, take advantage of the situation.’
‘But you will not?’ He shook his head in a show of mock disappointment. ‘I am mortified.’
‘Let’s not prolong a situation that is embarrassing for us both,’ she said briskly, folding her hands primly in her lap. Phin was tempted to point out that her display of primness was spoiled by the devilish light in her eye. It told him that she was not embarrassed to find herself alone with him, but curious about his intentions. ‘Tell me what it is that you want of me.’
His smile was pure predatory male. He simply couldn’t help himself. Celeste frowned, seemingly immune to his charm, recalling Phin’s attention to the seriousness of the situation. ‘I am convinced that Darwin colluded with Frazer’s son to rob the duchy of its remaining wealth,’ he said, his expression sobering.
‘With the funds drying up after his father died, Frazer took control as soon as Matthew was out of the way in France?’ She took a moment to mull the implications over. ‘I can quite see why you would think that way, but I cannot see how it could have been achieved.’
‘My uncle was unwell and had lost interest in his affairs, Matthew was in France and Darwin was short of funds. He saw an opportunity and had to act quickly, but couldn’t do it without Frazer’s involvement. Why Frazer was persuaded to partake in the systematic robbery of his most prestigious client is less certain.’
‘Perhaps Toby knows something to his detriment. He has unsavoury habits that would see him dismissed from his profession…’
Phin spread his hands. ‘We think alike, but it seems pointless speculating. As things stand we have no way of proving their collusion.’
‘Do you suppose Toby caused the accident?’ She looked worried and upset, as well she might. Phin reminded himself that if they were right then her mother had paid the ultimate price for someone’s greed. ‘He expected Matthew to remain in France for longer than he did and that he would return when he had found a way to regenerate the duchy’s wealth, thus making the absence of the funds Toby had embezzled less obvious.’
‘But Matthew returned sooner than expected with empty pockets. Darwin knew his crime would come to light and had to act quickly.’ Phin gave a grim nod. ‘Yes, that possibility had occurred to me.’
‘Frazer’s father’s death is a little convenient, don’t you think?’ Celeste asked. ‘I only met him once but he appeared to be in the rudest of health. He was a gentleman of the utmost integrity and would never had entered into such a despicable scheme, no matter how much pressure was brought to bear. Never in a million years, so if we are right then Toby must somehow have persuaded Frazer to get rid of his father.’ She stared directly at Phin, abhorrence and fear reflected in her expression. ‘Either that or Toby himself did the getting rid of, somehow implicating the younger Frazer but offering to withhold evidence of the crime and his supposed part in it if Frazer worked with him.’
‘You know Darwin a great deal better than I. Do you suppose him capable of such behaviour?’
She took a moment to consider the question. ‘Don’t be fooled by his indolent manner. He might be one of the laziest creatures on God’s earth who considers honest work to be beneath him simply because he is a marquess’s younger son, and he certainly thinks far too well of himself. But he is also very clever, and spiteful. He never tires of telling me that he always gets what he wants eventually.’
‘He will never get you,’ Phin said softly. ‘I will not permit it.’
‘Whatever makes you suppose…Anyway, we have drifted from the point. To answer your question, I’m afraid I can easily imagine Toby cooking up such a scheme and congratulating himself upon his cunning. But why?’ She spread her hands and shrugged. ‘What can he possibly hope to gain by it?’
