Page 43 of A Lady's Dangerous Secret
Lottie let out a gasp. He took her hand to reassure her before he went on. It was ice cold. He had hoped she would be less affected by his story, but it was understandable that she was shocked. He rubbed her hand. “The magistrate is holding on to Roberts’s ledgers until the murderer is identified and caught. I need to find out who killed Roberts so I can get the money from the insurance company. I’m stuck in London until this person can be found. With the help of Gabe, there are Bow Street Runners working on the case.”
Lottie would not meet his eyes and instead stared at a spot on the counterpane. He was not surprised. He had just told her disturbing news. He continued to rub her frigid hand. “Since the investigation started, I learned that Roberts was an evil man. He managed the affairs of many noble families. When the Runners went through his ledgers, they determined he was skimming money from their accounts. I wanted to warn you, because your family was listed as one of his clients.”
Lottie finally looked at him. Was that shock? Fear? “Thank you for letting me know,” she replied softly.
“I’m sorry to give you such alarming news, but I didn’t want to neglect to tell you what Roberts may have done to your family.”
Her hand still felt cold, but she squeezed his back with what he thought was reassurance.
“There is one more thing. It seems that Roberts went by other names, aliases if you will. The Runners discovered that he previously worked for the Duke of Westcliffe under the name Nott. He’s not a good man, and I don’t know if His Grace is subject to any of his sinister dealings.”
Her hand tightened further around his own as a multitude of emotions flashed across her face. But the final emotion was one James did not expect: anger.
She ripped her hand away from him and tore the counterpane from her body. She jumped out of the bed, still naked, and gathered her clothing before hastily slipping it on.
“Lottie?” he queried, perplexed by her reaction. She ignored him and pulled on her short stays, tying them clumsily.
“What are you doing?”
She marched over to him and pointed her finger at his chest. “Was this all part of your plan to get me into bed with you? Force us to wed and take my dowry? You clearly are in need of money. I bet you wanted my aunt to catch us in the gardens.” He could see her shoulders visibly shaking.
“We just have one night,” she said in a mocking voice. “One night for you to take my virginity and make me tainted goods for the Duke. Well, guess what? I’ll never marry you. And no man will ever get their hands on my dowry, because it’s protected. So find some other virgin to fuck and force her hand.”
James jumped out of bed without a stitch of clothing, fury rising within him. “Are you mad? I don’t want your dowry. I want you.”
He locked eyes with Charlotte. He had to make her understand. “Lottie, I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you. Someone is after your life, and you’re accusingmeof being the bad man?” She lifted her head defiantly. “I’m justtrying to help. You won’t tell me who’s trying to kill you. What are you hiding from me?”
“I don’t believe anything you said,” she said. Charlotte tugged on her dress without lacing it.
“I laid bare my heart and soul, and this is what I get for it.”
She threw on her cloak and its hood. Without a word, she turned and left.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It had been three days of angst since Charlotte left Lord Carrington’s town house and wove through the backstreets with a mixture of emotions. She worried the Bow Street Runners would uncover her identity as Mrs. Gibson, which placed a pressure on her to marry the Duke of Westcliffe as soon as possible. She was also upset that James had used her. During her entire journey, she had the odd sensation she was being followed and would pause every so often with her pistol raised before concealing it in her cloak and moving on. Eventually, she made her way back to her aunt’s home. Once she was safely in her bedroom, Charlotte allowed all the emotions that had raced through her mind while navigating the backstreets to rush forth. She collapsed onto her bed and cried until she reached a point of utter exhaustion and fell asleep. The nightmares of theIncidentreturned, and she suffered through a tortuous slumber.
Charlotte rose from bed the next day with the sun high in the sky, but it went largely unnoticed aside from Bailey, since the household still believed her to be ill. James’s revelations gutted Charlotte, and she fell into a melancholy she could not break. Although her group of friends visited and tried to cheer her up,she preferred to stay in her bedroom, which left her alone with her thoughts for too long.
She felt deceived by James, and it was akin to a dagger being thrust into her heart. He just wanted to take her virginity and force her to marry him. He was after her dowry—which was secretly protected by her grandfather from his grave—and no better than the debt-ridden lords who had pursued her.
Charlotte picked at the food on her tray while she sat by the fireplace and stared into the flames. Soon Bailey would come to prepare her for the masquerade ball. The costume Eleanor had put together in mere days hung in her armoire, ready for an evening of revelry, which no longer excited her. She did not know how she could ever trust another person or her own judgement again.
A knock on the door broke her maudlin thoughts, and soon Bailey was standing next to her.
“Lady Charlotte, are you ready to dress for the ball?”
“I suppose,” Charlotte responded dismally.
Bailey marched over to the chair in which Charlotte was seated and crossed her arms. “Milady, I realize you may have me sacked for this, but you need to pull yourself together. You can’t have some no-good man ruin you like this.”
Charlotte raised her eyes warily as Bailey loomed over her with a stern expression that she must use for her errant, younger siblings.
“Up with you. Otherwise, I’ll be getting you with a bucket of cold water. It’s what gets the little ones out of bed.”
Charlotte did not take Bailey seriously until her lady’s maid returned with a bucket of water and eyed her with a look that would make any governess proud. Although Charlotte had sunk rather low, she still had her pride, and she was not going to let Bailey embarrass her.
Charlotte stood abruptly. “Fine!”
