Page 41 of Alone with a Scarred Earl
Sophia let out a slow breath, her brow furrowed in sharp worry.
“He means to bleed Mountwood financially,” she said flatly. “He does not want to just ruin Gabriel’s reputation, but starve him of influence entirely.”
James nodded grimly.
“Precisely,” he said.
Genevieve understood that Charles could resort to being ruthless and unethical by slandering Gabriel’s good name, however, his economic manipulations unsettled her deeply.
It was the final piece of James’s report.
“A trusted source witnessed Richard Harrington in a clandestine meeting with Charles at a gaming hall,” he said.
Genevieve’s stomach tightened, cold dread seeping through her limbs. Her own cousin?
The news struck her with more force than she expected, her hands pressing faintly against the fabric of her gown as her breathing slowed down. She tried to steady herself, to think through the possibilities, but the implications were immediate.
“Why would Richard consort with my enemy?” she asked.
James’s silence was answer enough. The question hung, drawing all the air out of the room.
Genevieve forced herself to swallow the unease and gather her thoughts. While the revelation regarding Richard had shaken her, she could not ignore the observations she herself had made over the past few days.
“There is something else,” she said.
Gabriel’s gaze flicked toward her, his expression unreadable.
“What is it?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. If she was wrong, she would look foolish and give him more reason to push her away. But she was certain of her suspicion. Was she not?
“I have noticed Thomas Wilkins observing me,” she said. “Nor does it strike one as being harmless. It feels as if he is spying or waiting for something. His positioning always seems deliberate, and his movements carefully chosen. Every time I pass near the gardens, I feel as though I am being measured rather than merely observed. Could he be a spy?”
The words felt heavy, but as soon as she spoke them, she was sure she had touched upon something real.
Gabriel did not dismiss her outright, which was telling enough. He exchanged a glance with James, who pressed his lips into a thin line.
“We lack proof,” he said. “But given everything we now suspect, such behavior is too unsettling to ignore.”
Sophia frowned, glancing between them before speaking again.
“Could the old grievances over water rights be connected?” she asked. “Could Charles be using them to stir discontent among the tenants?”
Gabriel straightened.
“He could,” he said. “It would be an effective method to reawaken past disputes, planting doubt.”
The situation bogged down the entire room. No longer was this merely speculation. Pieces were now falling into place, forming a pattern of calculated interference.
“We need a plan,” James said, breaking a silence that Genevieve could not calculate. He leaned forward, his forearm braced against the polished surface of the library table, the firelight flickering against the sharp line of his jaw.
“We must render his arguments of no effect in London’s social circles before he can act again,” he said, his voice low but certain. “He relies upon a network of favors and whispered debts. I still have contacts within the Home Office. There are officers who served with me in the Peninsula. Quiet inquiries and well-placed letters could go a long way. If we press in the right quarters, the leverage he wields may begin to fracture.”
Gabriel nodded, his expression inscrutable but keenly attentive.
“Proceed carefully,” he said. “I have no intention of allowing Charles another foothold, but I will not see this family name further mired by reckless accusation. Be sure that you can trust everyone who will get involved if you choose this path. We cannot afford to attract the attention of the wrong people and have word get back to Charles.”
Sophia, seated between them with a sheaf of neatly folded documents, lifted her head.
