Page 42 of The Allure Of Lord Devlin
“Then I bring you good news,” Tobin announced as he sauntered into the room with his man of business, Mr. Gordon, behind him. “My wife was right. The letter’s written in old Gaelic. Thankfully, Mr. Gordon is from Scotland and can read this dialect.”
Devlin leaned forward. “So, it’s old Scottish, not Irish?”
“Definitely, Scottish, my lord.” Mr. Gordon answered while pulling the paper out of the folder under his arm. “It’s rather interesting reading. It clears your father completely. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite go as far as stating who the villain actually is.”
“How does it do that?”
Mr. Gordon answered. “It reveals a plot to frame your father and hijack a grain shipment to Napoleon for a huge sum of money.”
Tobin stood beaming. “So, you see Devlin. Your father’s name will be vindicated.”
Devlin sat as still as stone, not quite believing what he’d heard. But would this years old parchment be enough to lift any doubts when the name of the real villain remained a secret?
Then his body shook, and he couldn’t stop it. Anger burst forth in his gut, churning and spewing. Lies and treachery ruined and destroyed the family, causing the death of his innocent father. He’d died for nothing, and someone was to blame. Longton was to blame and… “Someone must pay.”
No one contradicted him. Sin stepped forward. “We will uncover the culprit and yes, we will make him pay for all your family has suffered.”
Devlin stood. “As long as that’s clear. ”
Tobin cleared his throat. “I propose that Sin take this letter to Lord Liverpool, the Prime Minister, and then to Prinny, and ask them to make a public release clearing your father.”
Devlin turned to face Sin. “But if we do that, Longton will know we are on to him. He’ll be on his guard and may strike out at my family and friends to stop me from uncovering his guilt.”
Sin walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “This parchment is the only thing we have that will clear your father. If something should happen to it before we present it to Prinny and Lord Liverpool… well, if we can’t find evidence against Longton, you’ll miss the chance to clear the Devlin name and receive the apology you deserve.”
Devlin couldn’t swallow or breathe. The letter delivered to the right people would see him able to claim all that he desired. His sister would marry well, his mother could re-enter society with her head held high and he could… he could marry the woman who made his soul soar and his heart burst with joy—Dharma. But he might never avenge his father's death. Could he live with that?
Mr. Gordon suggested, “Why not give it to Lord Liverpool and Prinny, but ask them not to reveal anything until you uncover the real traitor? Surely it will be safe in their hands.”
All the men looked at him with raised eyebrows. Tobin uttered, “That could work. Liverpool is a fair man, and he’s not very fond of Longton.”
Devlin paced the room, trying to think. Did he trust Liverpool and the government when it had been men within the government that had framed his father in the first place? So much rested on this decision. This small parchment, over ten years old, held the fate of his family and the happiness he might finally grab. As he paced, a cunning plan formed in his head. He swung round to face his friends with a huge smile on his face.
“I have an idea. A brilliant idea, if I may say so myself. Let’s take the parchment to Liverpool now as soon as this meeting finishes. We will ask him not to reveal anything until we clarify Longton is the villain.”
“Well, that is what we discussed, but I can’t see?—”
Devlin interrupted Tobin. “Then later in the day, we will work out a subtle way to leak that I’ve found the parchment, which clears my father and names the true traitor, and I’m going to take it to Liverpool. We can copy the letter onto another piece of parchment. We’ll make Longton think I haven’t shown it to anyone yet, and that I still have the note. He’ll have to come after it—after me. He’ll have no choice, especially if he doesn’t know what the parchment reveals.”
Sin clapped his hands. “That’s brilliant, because by coming after the note, Longton reveals he’s the villain. That’s the only evidence Liverpool will need.”
“And if something should go wrong, Liverpool still has the original. Who can we use to leak the news?” Mr. Gordon asked.
“Mrs. McTavish. We know she’s in league with Longton. As Hawthorn indicated, she implicated Lord Doyle. I’ll let her overhear me telling mother how it was found in Rosemary’s jewelry box. I’ll have the box with me. I’ll tell mother I’m going to hide it until I can take it to Liverpool. I’ll make it known I can’t meet with him until the following day. I have to wait for him to arrive back in London.”
“One slight drawback. It’s bloody dangerous. What if he comes after your sister, or someone close to you, to use as leverage? Or takes a shot at you?”
Sin nodded at Tobin’s words. “He may kidnap someone close to you to exchange for the note. And if you don’t actually have it….”
An image of Rosemary and Dharma flashed in his mind. “It’s only one more night. Surely we can keep our families safe behind our townhouse doors.” Devlin prayed his words were true. The idea that something could happen to the young ladies because of his actions… It didn’t bear thinking about.
Silence blanketed the room for several minutes. Finally, Sin said, “I think it’s the best option we have.”
“Bloody only option if we want to capture Longton,” Tobin added.
Devlin retook his seat and the men hunkered down as he explained his plan on how to trap Longton and clear his father’s name. His future depended on this outcome. If their plan worked, he could marry Dharma and give her the life she deserved.
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