Page 79 of If Not for the Duke

Marbury paced the length of the room, his distress obvious. Lena’s stomach tightened at the depth of his concern. Obviously, she wasn’t alone in her worry that this would upset Ella.

Lena studied the faces around her, but no one seemed to have an answer. Norah clenched her hands in her lap, her eyes holding on her husband as if hoping he had a solution.

“If only I had found proof,” Lena whispered. “But now I realize that even if I did, I wouldn’t hand it over to Clarke.”

“Perhaps that’s it,” Vanbridge said as he stared at Lena.

“How do you mean?” Norah asked.

Marbury halted his pacing to draw nearer.

“What if Clarke said all that to try to force our hand? He’s obviously in a hurry to make a discovery. Lena has stated to many that Clarke is wrong. He must’ve heard that. Maybe Clarke has decided that if Lena is so certain he’s wrong, she must know what is right. What better way to make us come forward with our evidence than to declare he’s found the Money Pit?”

“You might be right, as convoluted as that sounds.” Marbury ran a hand over the back of his neck as he nodded. “I’m certain he’s not the only one who must think we discovered new information. It would be logical. How else could we say Clarke is wrong unless we know what’s true?”

Lena appreciated his use of “we” but that didn’t reduce the weight of responsibility that sat heavily on her shoulders.

“The question is, what do we do about it?” the duke asked, one brow cocked. “He seems to be doing his damnedest to ruin David Wright’s reputation.”

Lena and Norah shared a surprised look, both stunned to hear their father’s name come from their grandfather. To realize he didn’t want his late son-in-law’s reputation ruined any more than they did was a pleasant shock.

The duke glanced between them and lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “You loved him as did my daughter. That matters to me, even if I disagree with his and Bethany’s actions when they eloped. That is in the past and can’t be changed. But I don’t want to see any of you hurt by this.”

Lena and Norah rose to press a kiss to each of his cheeks.

If Lena didn’t know better, she’d think a hint of a blush crept over his face. But his smile as he looked at them melted her heart.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Yes,” Norah agreed. “Thank you.”

“Yes, yes.” He waved a hand in the air as if to dismiss their gratitude even as he shifted in his chair. “Of course. How shall we proceed?”

Lena’s thoughts raced. There had to be something more they could do than simply wait. “What if we send an anonymous message to the reporter, stating that Clarke is lying?”

Marbury shared a look with both her grandfather and Vanbridge. “That could be helpful if the reporter will share it.”

“We’ll make it convincing enough that he’ll be compelled to write about it.” Her grandfather’s eyes narrowed as if he were considering how that could be done.

“If it’s controversial, chances are the reporter will want to print it.” Norah’s eyes gleamed with hope. “Controversy sells papers.”

“I have a few details that Renwick happened to share with me,” Marbury said, his gaze on Lena.

Her stomach tightened, wondering what they could be. The fact that he’d told Marbury but not told her was disconcerting. “What sort of details?”

“He overheard Viscount Ludham speaking with another man named Daniel Winslow about Clarke and his dig. I wouldn’t want to give any names to the reporter since we have no proof, but if we suggest that someone in London knows more than they’re saying, and provide hints to their identity, it could lend credence to our claim.”

Vanbridge nodded. “I like it. Especially since we’ll be fanning the flames. Clarke might do something even more drastic and show his hand.”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The duke’s smile lifted Lena’s spirits.

“I haven’t told Renwick this as I haven’t seen him,” Marbury continued, “but I heard that Winslow is deeply in debt. He’s been gambling heavily to try to regain his footing, but it’s only sunk him deeper.”

“Desperation might cause him to act unwisely.” The duke nodded. “Hopefully, he will soon prove himself guilty along with Clarke and anyone else involved.”

“What will Renwick think of our plan?” Lena asked. As much as she wanted to silence Clarke, she didn’t want to hurt Sterling or Bernie if it could be avoided.

“I’ll have a word with him before we proceed,” Marbury said. “I tend to think he will approve as he would like to flush out the truth about Winslow and Ludham just as much as we would. And if Clarke is lying to him, he’ll want to know that, too.”

---