Page 26 of The Duke’s Scandal (Bluestocking Book Club #5)
Chapter Nineteen
I sobella frowned, tracing her finger along the lines written in the book. She had been in the busy London library with the other bluestockings for some time, but until this moment, had found nothing whatsoever related to Lord Welton.
Now, however, a few lines had changed everything. Lifting her head, she looked about for the others, spying Lady Amelia standing closest to her.
“Amelia.” Beckoning to her friend, she waited until she drew nearer. “Look at this.”
Reading the few lines, Lady Amelia’s gasp made Isobella’s confidence rise. She had, then, found something of significance.
“A family agreement?” Lady Amelia said, lifting her gaze from the book. “This is an age-old agreement, however, is it not?”
“It does appear to be.” Isobella leaned closer to the book, screwing up her eyes just a little as she tried to read the words.
“It appears to say that there should always be a familial connection between Welton and Hately… an agreement fr om of old between the two gentlemen bearing the titles at the time.” Her head lifted.
“Lady Deborah’s father is the Marquess of Hatley, from what I remember. ”
“And Lord Welton is an Earl,” Lady Amelia murmured, her gaze returned to the book again. “He, mayhap, has read of this supposed agreement and is now pursuing Lady Deborah. It would certainly improve his standing if he were to marry a Marquess’ daughter.”
“And yet, Lady Deborah has refused him.”
“Mayhap making him deeply upset at her refusal?” Isobella considered, aloud. “But that does not mean that he would do anything against Lady Clara, surely? Nor could I understand why he might whisper about the Duke.”
Isobella nodded slowly, her brow furrowing.
“I cannot imagine why. His dislike of him was intense enough that he struck the Duke hard! I wonder if… ” Thinking quickly, her heart began to thud wildly as an idea came to her.
Her breath hitching, she took Lady Amelia’s arm, holding it tightly.
“What if Lord Welton saw the Duke as a threat?”
Lady Amelia’s eyes flew wide. “A threat to his pursuit of Lady Deborah?”
“Yes, that is what I mean.” Everything began to fall into place, leaving Isobella in a state of heightened anticipation as, finally, she saw a path ahead.
“If Lord Welton believed that the Duke was pursuing Lady Deborah or that Lady Deborah herself was interested in the Duke himself, then might he not have acted in a way to push all thought of the Duke from Lady Deborah?”
“By spreading rumors about him,” Lady Amelia said slowly, turning to look down at the book again.
“He thinks that they have a connection, that they ought to marry because of this agreement. She rejects it, for it is much too old for her to take with any seriousness now, but Lord Welton is determined. Pushing other gentlemen out of her path and out of her mind is his only course of action, and so, he begins to speak ill of the Duke.”
Isobella swallowed hard. “More than that,” she said, huskily, remembering the connection between Lord Welton and Lady Victoria.
“He sets up a dark situation with Lady Clara and uses his cousin to have her believe that it was the Duke of Exeter.” A shudder ran down her frame.
“Mayhap he was the one who attacked Lady Clara.”
“Goodness.” Lady Amelia stared back at Isobella as each of them grappled with what they had only just begun to make sense of. “Then how do we prove it?”
“We must first speak to Lady Deborah,” Isobella said, her eagerness to have the Duke proven innocent growing fiercely. “If she confirms what we think, then I must tell everything to the Duke. It will be up to him what he does with it all.”
Lady Amelia nodded. “I will go and tell the others. When do you intend to speak to Lady Deborah?”
“This very afternoon, if I can,” Isobella said, picking up the book and reading the few lines again. “We are so close to the truth, Amelia. I am sure of it.”
“Forgive me for coming directly to the point – and for such a blunt question – but I must ask you something.” Isobella, who had managed to find Lady Deborah without too much difficulty amongst the crowd of gentlemen and ladies at the fashionable hour, looked straight into the young lady’s eyes. “Is Lord Welton pursuing you?”
“Lord Welton?” A flush began to creep up Lady Deborah’s neck, rising into her cheeks. “I am sorry to hear that such a rumor has been making its way around London.” She lifted her chin. “I am sorry to inform you that there is no connection whatsoever between myself and Lord Welton.”
“Do not be sorry,” Lady Amelia said, with a small smile. “Thank you for being so honest with us, Lady Deborah. We ask only because – ”
“Because of what you witnessed, I am sure,” Lady Deborah interrupted, looking at Isobella.
“I was heartily ashamed of him for doing such a thing. There was no need for him to treat the Duke as he did. To hit him with such force was nothing short of disgraceful, and I am surprised the Duke did not call him out.”
Isobella hesitated, wondering if she should press Lady Deborah further on that particular subject, choosing, in the end, to do so. “Lord Preston informed me that Lord Welton did so because he – the Duke, that is – had been maligning you and therefore, he felt bound to come to your defense.”
Lady Deborah closed her eyes and shook her head.
“That is not true in the least, I am afraid. You must also be aware that it is a lie, Lady Isobella.” She opened her eyes as Isobella nodded.
“I am sorry that you heard Lord Welton speak to the Duke as you did. I am not certain what to make of it all, for I cannot be sure that Lady Clara is telling the truth. I think she is speaking of what she believes to be the truth but that she cannot be entirely sure.”
This was more than Isobella had been expecting and, seeing Lady Amelia’s hopeful smile, pressed on. “Why is it that Lord Welton wishes to be so close to you, might I ask? He is seeking to pursue you, I think, but you are not inclined towards him.”
“No, I am not.” Lady Deborah sighed and looked away.
“There is some old family agreement, evidently. Lord Welton discovered it quite recently and, since then, has been determined to marry me. My father has seen the agreement but says it does not carry any weight, for it was so long ago and without any legal binding that it need not affect us now.”
“But Lord Welton persists.”
When Lady Deborah returned her gaze to Isobella, tears were sparkling in her eyes.
“He does. I have grown weary of it, and to see how he acted towards the Duke made me all the more disinclined towards him. I cannot tell why he chooses to pursue me so vehemently when there are many other young ladies, but I know he is near enough relentless!”
Sympathy rose in Isobella’s heart. “That must be a weighty burden.”
Lady Deborah’s lips curved just a little. “It has been. For a time, I thought that the Duke of Exeter might be a gentleman worth considering, but after all that has happened, after all these rumors, I confess that I am now very uncertain.”
“And what if that was all that Lord Welton intended?” Lady Amelia spoke gently, but Isobella could still see the shock that rippled into Lady Deborah’s expression. “What if that was precisely what he wanted?”
The lady did not answer for some time, staring first at Lady Amelia and then looking to Isobella. Isobella herself said nothing, waiting for the lady to understand what they meant.
A shuddering exclamation broke from Lady Deborah’s lips. She put her hands over her face, and both Isobella and Lady Amelia drew near at once, wanting both to comfort the lady and to hide her from society’s prying eyes.
“I did not think for a moment that he would ever do such a thing,” Lady Deborah whispered, her hands lowering as tears stained her cheeks.
“Now that you have suggested it, however, I can see just how much truth there might be there! Of course he would want the Duke away from me, given just how much he wants me for himself.”
Isobella looked at Lady Amelia, hope and sorrow twining together in her heart. “I am sorry to have made the suggestion, but I do think it is a possibility.”
Lady Deborah sniffed, pulled her handkerchief from her pocket, and dabbed at her eyes. “You have been doing your best to defend the Duke, have you not?”
“I have.” Isobella did not hold the truth back from the lady, choosing to be honest. “I believed him when he said he did not do any of those things to Lady Clara, that every rumor is false.”
Another sniff came from Lady Deborah before she pushed her handkerchief away again. “I could not understand why Lady Clara believed it to be the Duke but Lady Victoria was so very convincing, I felt as though I had to accept it.”
“Lady Victoria?”
Lady Deborah nodded. “We were both talking to the Duke and then, a strange noise came from a darker part of the gardens. I was not concerned by it, but Lady Victoria was terribly upset. She encouraged the Duke to go and see what the trouble was – and then, within a few moments, a loud cry came, and Lady Clara and Lady Sara rushed out towards the French doors. Lady Victoria grabbed my hand and tugged me after them, saying aloud that the Duke must have done something dreadful, but I am sure that the sound came from another part of the garden. She seemed quite determined to speak to Lady Clara and, indeed, caught her as she rushed into the ballroom.” She sighed heavily.
“I want to accept all that is said, but I fear I cannot. All the same, it feels wrong to doubt Lady Clara, given what happened to her.”
This was all the confirmation Isobella needed.
Lady Victoria had, for whatever reason, encouraged Lady Clara – and others, it seemed – to accept that the Duke of Exeter had been the one at fault.
A deep breath filled her lungs as she closed her eyes, feeling as if a weight was lifting from her heart.
Quite what would happen now, she could not say, but the Duke, at least, would have all the information he needed to confront Lord Welton, if he so wished.
What came after that, Isobella would not permit herself to think of.
Not yet. Not until she knew for sure that all these lies and rumors were at an end.