Page 68 of Murder at Madame Chambon's
The door opened, and the sudden glare made her put her hands to her eyes.She staggered forward, tripping on her black bombazine skirts, squinting in the painful light as she sought for features of the man she loved.
Dear Lord, please let it be William come to rescue her, not…
But the arms that went round her waist, whisking her up and carrying her swiftly to the carriage, were wiry and the smell of him was of whisky and fear.
This could not be happening, she raged internally as he laid her across the seat.
Safety?Release?They were not to be hers, after all?
She’d been incarcerated for so long, and was so thirsty, Evelina was nearly beside herself.“Water,” she croaked.“Please…give me water.”Her head was spinning.She was barely aware of her surroundings until her arms were wrenched behind her and she felt the harsh bindings pulled taut, pinioning her wrists behind her.
“Final wish granted,” came the same urbane tones she recognized from yesterday while, thankfully, a flask was put to her lips and she felt the rush of liquid down her throat, bubbling up over her cheeks and chin as she coughed on the burn of brandy.
Nevertheless, it was some relief, though she wept from fear as the carriage door slammed and her jailer settled himself in beside her.
“Blessed relief if I could have left you there, Evelina, but time is of the essence and I must find somewhere safer to put you.I can’t risk that they’d put two and two together and find you there.”
“Somewhere safe?”she whispered.“I don’t know what you mean.Why are you doing this to me?What have I done?Who are you?”
“As I told you, I am your father’s lawyer, and he does not wish to be troubled by you, my dear.A confluence of unfortunate events forced my hand when I never thought it would come to this.I blame the man you were to marry.Never trust a man who claims to love you, Evelina.”He gave a wry chuckle as the carriage rocked slowly over the gravel.“Ultimately, everyone is driven by self interest.It’s a sad reflection, but it’s true.”
“William?William loves me!He does!”
“I’m not talking about Bellingham.He’s far too diligent.That’s why I have to move you.There he was at Ravenhall Manor today, looking for you, making enquiries.No, I was talking about Dunstable.”
“William was trying to find me?”Evelina felt another spark of hope.At the funeral, he’d said to expect him any time.He’d not forsake her, regardless of her position, wealth or lack of it, he’d said.
“Sticking his nose into business that has nothing to do with him, and visiting your father with questions the poor man has no need to be troubled by.”
“Questions about me?William spoke to my father?Lord…Craddock?”She barely dared say his name, though she’d whispered it in confusion half the night.
“Lord Craddock is my father?He is, isn’t he?Why will you not take me to him?Please, Mr.Grimshaw?”If she asked nicely enough, appealed to his compassion and integrity, might he not change his mind about wherever he was taking her?For she greatly feared it was a place no better than the family crypt.
The family crypt where she had slept on the sarcophagus of the child who bore her name and who had been born the same day Evelina had but whose life had been cut short when she was a child.
“My duty towards your father is the same as my duty towards all the earls of Ravenswood: to ensure the continuation of the Ravenswood line and that the family assets are not dispersed.For nearly twenty years, your father, the 5th Earl of Ravenswood, has been comfortably of the belief that you were no more, Evelina.That you and your mother were blessedly no more.Dead, my girl, so that he was free to marry the woman he really loved who would bear him the son that a man in your father’s position requires if the family name is to continue direct, and the family estate and wealth not pass over to the next male heir—in your father’s case, a distance, feeble-minded cousin.I’ve served your father, the 5th earl of Ravenswood, for nearly twenty years and I served his cousin, the 4th earl, before that.I have dedicated my life to serving the Ravenswood family and I will not let the worthless offspring of an immoral woman derail five centuries of greatness.Your father’s family depends on the next heir being your half-brother, Rupert.My godson.My blood, impure though mine is.And, for that to happen, you need to have died at six years old, Evelina.Just like your father thought you had.”A note of savagery crept into his tone as he added, “For your blood is as impure as mine, my girl, only God chose to bless you...but I will not have it!”
Evelina struggled to comprehend, but she vaguely understood now that this man had kept her existence a secret from her father.Just as he was keeping her existence secret from all those who were looking for her.
The cords that bound her chafed at her wrists, and she whimpered.“I knew none of this,” she whispered.“I never sought wealth or greatness.All I want is to marry William.Please let me go.We were planning to elope.He doesn’t care about my dowry, if that was the sticking point.Please just release me, Mr.Grimshaw, and all this can be forgotten.”
“Ah, but what is said cannot be unheard.What is seen cannot be unseen.”Mr.Grimshaw clicked his tongue.“That interfering Lord Dunstable learned that to his cost.”
“You killed him?”Gasping, Evelina sat up, opening her eyes to stare at the monster before her.Though the brandy made her head swim, at least her throat was no longer so parched.
Mr.Grimshaw nodded.“He left me with no choice.The man got greedy.He learned the truth about you, Evelina.And that’s how the danger gets out of hand, Evelina.”
“The truth about me?I have no secrets!”
He threw back his head and laughed.“Your entire life is one dark secret, Evelina.Your father is Lord Craddock, 5th Earl of Ravenswood.Your mother is an immoral whore!”
Evelina jerked back as if he’d struck her, gasping as she stared, horrified, at the spittle that dusted his neat muttonchop whiskers.
“Nevertheless,” he went on, “your mother knows that to rock the boat threatens a delicate livelihood.She also knew that, established in her profession, she could never be accepted by polite society.So, she made a strategic decision to accept the money I paid her in return for her silence.And for nearly twenty years, there was no issue, no difficulty.I should have known that a pretty, headstrong daughter would rock the boat.There you were, falling in love without a care, asking questions, scratching at the truth.To lose your heart to Dunstable was a big mistake.”
“I never lost my heart to Dunstable!”Evelina objected fiercely, pushing up against the door of the carriage, her hands behind her, seeking for the door handle.“My mama did her best to persuade me he would make a good husband and, since I’d not lost my heart to anyone at the time and was so desperate to please her, I was prepared to be obedient.”
Grimshaw sighed.“But Dunstable was venal and avaricious.A blackmailer once will forever be a threat.”
