Page 48 of Fortune Favors the Frivolous
He shrugged. “Are you prepared to take the chance I’m lying? Foolish girl! Accept my suit, and not only will those letters remain our secret, but I shall also ensure that the rumors surrounding Henry mysteriously disappear. If you care for him as much as you lead me to believe, then… you have the power to restore his reputation and career.”
“I will never marry you!” With enormous bravery, she added, “You failed once, and you will do so again.” It was the first time she’d publicly alluded to his kidnap and the dreadful hours she’d spent as his prisoner. But here on the dance floor, surely it was safer to air what must be said? Nevertheless, she was trembling so much she could not go on.
The wolf’s smile widened behind his mask. “You really are making this difficult for me, Miss Playford, when there are so few options open to you. Marry me, and Henry goes free, his future secure. Refuse me…” He let the sentence hang unfinished.
Trembling, she whispered, “And if I were to tell Henry of this blackmail?”
“Well, then, I daresay it wouldn’t be long before the Ashworth family bank would face immediate scrutiny regarding certain… irregularities in their accounts. Irregularities that, while entirely fabricated, would nonetheless prove devastating. Banking, after all, is built on trust.” His voice hardened. “Your Henry would not only lose his reputation, but his family would be ruined and possibly imprisoned. Is that the future you wish for him?”
The music was drawing to a close. Venetia’s face felt frozen with horror beneath her mask.
“You have two weeks until your wedding day, Miss Playford. I suggest you use that time wisely.” Windermere’s final wordswere delivered with chilling finality. “Oh, and one more thing—your aunt has arranged a delightful musical afternoon in the coming days. I look forward to continuing our conversation there. In fact, I look forward to concluding our mutually beneficial arrangements.”
*
She was savedby Henry, who was suddenly by her side, saying, “I would like to claim the next dance with my fiancée.” His voice was tight with barely suppressed fury.
Windermere released Venetia with exaggerated courtesy. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of monopolizing the lovely bride-to-be.” He turned to Caroline with a slight bow. “Perhaps Miss Weston would honor me instead?”
“I fear Miss Weston is promised to me,” came a new voice, and Barnaby materialized beside them, resplendent in a Harlequin costume of black and white diamonds.
Caroline reared back in alarm, and Henry stepped smoothly between them. “Actually, since Miss Playford looks rather pale, perhaps she should have a moment of air on the terrace with her friend Miss Jackson while Miss Weston honors me with this dance?”
Before either Windermere or Barnaby could object, Henry had swept Caroline onto the dance floor, while Venetia seized the opportunity to slip away towards the terrace doors.
“They’re toying with us!” Caroline whispered once they were safely beyond earshot. “And all the while, they’re plotting and planning. Have you learned anything? Like… when is Mr. Rothbury back in town? I made it clear I wanted to talk to him, but he is nowhere to be found.”
“I think your desire to speak to him might have been overshadowed by the tumult caused by that mysterious woman in blue. No wonder Mr. Rothbury’s mind was elsewhere.” Henry raised an eyebrow. “And now Barnaby has supposed evidence he claims could ruin my family.”
“I refuse to believe it!”
“That is what I am hearing. Meanwhile, Venetia’s aunt claims she has evidence that could ruin her reputation—if she refuses to wed Windermere.”
“I refuse to believeanyof it!” Caroline declared. “These are empty threats to make Venetia too frightened to do anything but renege on marriage to you and then pliantly accept Windermere.” She resisted the urge to brush her hand across Henry’s cheek but her voice softened and her heart did a little somersault in her chest at the way he looked at her when she said, “While nothing would make me happier than for you to no longer be betrothed to Venetia, that doesn’t solve the other evil that is about.”
“No,” Henry agreed, giving her waist a gentle squeeze. “Because unless we find out, we are all doomed to unhappiness.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Venetia’s first instinctupon reaching her room, following the worst ball of her life, was to throw herself onto her bed and sob. She felt utterly powerless.
Indeed, she was powerless. Her twenty-first birthday was only three weeks away—in fact, a couple of days after her wedding—but her majority would change nothing. How she wished for the safety of marriage to Henry, even though she did not love him. He was kind and would protect her.
But what of Windermere’s threats? No, she could not take them at face value and simply accede to marriage with him.
Which meant she had to find proof. Proof of what Windermere had said. Proof of what her aunt claimed.
Which meant she had to do what she had declared impossible: make a secret investigation of her aunt’s locked room. This was a room at the rear of their London townhouse to which Venetia and all staff were denied access, save for weekly cleaning. The door was always locked.
Perhaps this was where Aunt Pike kept her valuables. And her secrets.
This might be where Venetia would most likely find the letters that would bear up her aunt’s claims, though her aunt’s bedchamber was another option. Of course, if Venetia found nothing, she’d be no closer to verifying if Aunt Pike’s terrible revelations were true.
Lord, she certainly hoped she would not find the letters her aunt claimed proved a secret love affair between herself and Venetia’s father. Even the thought made her feel ill.
But she had to look.
After succumbing to those tears, Venetia sat up on the bed, rubbing her swollen eyes, and tried to grasp the courage that had once been in far greater abundance before her aunt had sapped her of seemingly all spirit.
