Heirs and Graces Read online

  ‘You have to stop thanking me,’ Olivia said. ‘You are causing me no inconvenience.’

  They removed to the drawing room, made cosy and welcoming by a blazing fire. Olivia’s cat jumped up onto Amelia’s lap, turned in several tight circles and settled down, purring loudly.

  ‘Tabitha likes you,’ Olivia said, watching Amelia as she stroked the animal’s sleek coat. ‘And she is a very good judge of character.’

  ‘Tabitha is a pretty name.’

  ‘My daughter Gracie found her in the alleyway leading to the mews behind this house,’ Eva explained. ‘The poor thing didn’t look nearly so healthy then.’

  ‘Ah, so you rescue waifs of all persuasions,’ Amelia said, raising her voice to make herself heard over the cat’s rattling purr.

  ‘Grace and my son Tom joined forces and pleaded with us to keep the cat. We were outvoted,’ Olivia said, laughing since there had never been the slightest possibility of her disappointing the children. ‘You will meet the little monsters later, if you feel strong enough to withstand the whirlwind of the two of them together.’

  ‘I should love to.’ Amelia continued to lavish attention on Tabitha. ‘I love children as much as I love cats but Papa would never permit me to have one. A cat, that is. He dislikes all animals, even horses, and never rides.’

  Olivia decided that her papa must lack a soul.

  ‘Cats cannot be controlled, and that would not sit well with your father,’ Eva said. ‘The children cried at first when Tabitha refused to sleep on one of their beds unless she felt like doing so. Now they understand that she is her own mistress, and they enjoy her company all the more when she deigns to bestow it upon them.’

  ‘You do realise, I suppose,’ Olivia said, ‘that if you don’t return immediately your father will very likely disown you, or track you down and force you to go back.’

  ‘My family cannot like me very much if they are willing to force me into marriage, although I think my brother privately applauds my daring.’ She sighed. ‘No, I shall not miss them and will do better on my own.’

  ‘Living with two notorious women,’ Eva said, laughing.

  ‘Oh no! If you two are notorious then I greatly prefer your company to that of censorious females like Edith who claim respectability to which they have no entitlement. Edith is an inveterate flirt and I am not convinced that she is true to my brother.’

  Olivia thought of poor Mabel and decided that Edith and Henry Armitage deserved one another.

  ‘Why was your father so keen to see you wed to Mr Mason?’ she asked after a brief pause. ‘Did he seek your opinion before encouraging Mr Mason to pursue you?’

  ‘Oh, good heavens no! Papa seldom asks anyone’s opinion on anything. Certainly not mine. I am a female so it naturally follows that I cannot have two sensible thoughts in succession.’

  ‘Ah,’ Olivia replied.

  ‘I have asked myself the same question about Papa’s determination to have Mr Mason as a son-in-law. He is an architect with a growing reputation but I cannot see what benefit that would be to Papa. Raymond Mason has a very high opinion of himself but can be very charming when he takes the trouble to be and ladies enjoy his company.’ Amelia flapped her hands. ‘What I am trying to say is that he is an ambitious man and could do a great deal better than me if he is looking to enhance his prospects through matrimony.’

  ‘Perhaps he has the good sense to see how kind and sensible you are?’ Eva suggested.

  ‘Bah, it is good of you to say so but what young man stops to consider such traits? All they care about are beauty and money. I have little of the former and must rely upon my father for the latter.’

  You are far from plain,’ Olivia said, ‘and Eva and I can help you make the best of yourself, if you like.’

  Amelia shook her head. ‘I would not put you to the trouble.’

  Eva sent Amelia a considering look. ‘Don’t deprive us of the pleasure.’

  ‘If you are serious, then of course you can try to do so something with me. But as to why Mr Mason is so keep to have me, I am at a loss to…oh, but of course!’ Amelia covered her mouth with one hand. ‘My fortune. Speaking of his probable need for money has made me remember. How could I not have thought of it before?’

  ‘Your fortune?’ Olivia and Eva repeated simultaneously.

  ‘Yes, I had quite forgotten about it but it cannot have been Mr Mason’s motive because, as far as I am aware, he does not know of its existence.’

  Olivia frowned. ‘Surely your father must have mentioned it to him, if he was keen to see the match go ahead, and always supposing Mr Mason is in need of it?’

  ‘One of the few points that Papa and I agreed upon was that we would not mention my money for precisely the reason you suggest.’ Amelia canted her head, her expression thoughtful. ‘But I suppose if Papa wanted Mr Mason so badly for a son then he would feel vindicated in breaking his word.’

  ‘Surely your papa will withhold your fortune if you disoblige him,’ Eva suggested.

  ‘He cannot.’ Amelia flashed a mischievous smile ‘It is a most unusual arrangement, you see. My maternal grandmother set up a trust fund for her daughter. Her husband could not squander it since the trustees must approve all expenditure. The trust allows for it to be passed down through the female line only.’

  ‘That is unusual,’ Eva said.

  ‘When Mama died, the balance in the trust was passed to me.’

  ‘Is it a huge fortune?’ Olivia asked.

  Amelia lifted her shoulders. ‘I have absolutely no idea. I cannot use it until I reach my majority and the trustees, my father’s solicitors, manage it in the meantime. But yes, I believe there is a good sum involved.’

  ‘I don’t mean to sound indelicate,’ Olivia said warily, ‘or to insult you. But you are from a middle-class family. Presumably your mother and her mother were, too. So where did this fortune come from?’

  Amelia’s eyes flashed. ‘Actually, we have notoriety in our family too. Papa will not have it discussed, as though by ignoring our ignominious past he can pretend it did not happen.’

  ‘Do tell us more,’ Olivia said, sitting forward expectantly.

  ‘Well, my grandmother, Mama’s mother that is, shocked her family by eloping with a man whom they thoroughly disapproved of and with whom she was forbidden to associate.’ Amelia smiled. ‘Perhaps that is where I have inherited my rebellious streak from. Anyway, she was disowned by her family but had a wonderful life with her husband who was, I think, most likely not respectable. Where and how he accrued his money has never been explained but I suspect he was not an honest man. I do know he was a seafarer so perhaps he was a smuggler. I would dearly love to know but Mama either did not know herself or preferred not to tell me.’ Her animated expression faded. ‘And now that I am old enough to understand, Mama is no longer here to enlighten me.’

  ‘Your grandfather sounds like a fascinating man of mystery,’ Olivia said. ‘And probably a great deal of fun too.’

  ‘I have never spoken about him to anyone before,’ Amelia said, smiling. ‘Papa said it was better not to. People would disapprove and look down on us.’

  ‘Well, we do not,’ Olivia replied. ‘But you have still not explained the nature of the trust that you will benefit from.’

  ‘Grandmother gave birth to my mother, her only child. Aware of the pain that the disapproval and ultimate rift with her own family had caused her, she wanted to ensure that Mama and ensuing generations of females had the financial independence to follow their hearts rather than be dictated to by those who thought they knew best.’

  ‘How very sensible of her,’ Olivia said.

  ‘And yet,’ Amelia mused, almost to herself, ‘Mama married a man like Papa, who is the opposite of what little I know about my grandfather in every respect. How odd.’

  ‘Presumably your grandfather left all of his fortune to your grandmother, thus enabling her to set up the trust.’

  ‘Yes, and it is unbreakable. I know because I
heard Papa complaining to Henry once that he couldn’t do anything to change what he described as an unsuitable arrangement.’

  ‘Because it was one aspect of your conduct that he could not control,’ Olivia said. ‘I can tell you had forgotten all about it and are unaware how rich you actually are, but I would wager there is a fair sum involved.’

  Amelia shrugged. ‘Possibly. I would not have you think I am a complete nincompoop, but you see, it really is never mentioned and I have not been given any reason to suppose that it amounts to a great deal. I imagined it had been whittled down over the years. Expenses, unwise loans approved by the trustees that have not been repaid, bad investments…that sort of thing.’ She plucked at the fabric of her skirt. ‘But then again, perhaps I am wrong about that.’

  ‘If the trust is the reason why your father wanted to see you allied with Mason,’ Olivia said, almost to herself, ‘then he will move heaven and earth to find you.’

  ‘I suppose it could be, but I fail to see why Mr Mason is so important to him. However, regardless of the amount involved, you are right to imagine that Papa will never stop looking for me. Not because he loves me, but because if word that I have rebelled against him ever leaks out, which it inevitably will, it will reflect poorly upon his ability to control his family.’

  Olivia fixed her new friend with a probing look. ‘Then are you absolutely resolved not to return home?’

  ‘Absolutely!’ Amelia attempted to straighten a spine that was already rigid. ‘It is thanks to the two of you, and perhaps to the spirit of my grandmother, which clearly skipped a generation, that I have found the courage to defy Papa. I have always had my doubts about Mr Mason and now I am absolutely convinced that he would make me miserable. I still recall his look of complete astonishment when I declined his proposal; arrogant man!’ Amelia gave a decisive shake of her head. ‘I will not change my mind. I will find a way to earn my living for the next two years, until I come into my fortune, and then like you, Olivia, I will be able to please myself.’

  ‘That you will.’ But Olivia knew it would not be that easy. ‘In the meantime you will need help. You cannot hide indoors indefinitely; your father has the law on his side and can force you to return to his household if he finds you.’

  ‘He is certainly welcome to try!’

  ‘That’s the spirit!’ Eva leaned across to touch Amelia’s hand. ‘I believe you are rather enjoying yourself. Your grandmother would be very proud of you.’

  Amelia’s smile was broad and infectious. ‘You know, I rather think she would.’

  ‘Even so, we cannot remain passive and must do our best to distract your father,’ Olivia said with a calculating smile. ‘Would you like to meet some friends of ours? They might be able to help you, and you them.’

  Amelia looked momentarily confused but did not hesitate to agree. ‘With the greatest of pleasure. But I do not see what I could possibly do to be of service to any friends of yours.’

  ‘All will soon become apparent, my dear.’ Olivia stood. ‘Excuse me for a moment.’

  Olivia wrote a brief note to Jake and then summoned Green.

  ‘Have Finch deliver this to Lord Torbay at once and tell him wait for a reply,’ she said.

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Falconer?’ Jake looked blankly at Parker. Then realisation dawned and a slow smile of comprehension spread across his face. ‘Well I never. Now things are starting to make more sense.’

  ‘They are?’ Fergus asked. ‘To you, perhaps.’

  ‘I’ll explain in a moment. How did Mason come to call upon Falconer, Parker?’

  ‘I had Franklin wait outside the Armitage house in Limehouse. I hadn’t been able to find where Mason lived in the time available but you mentioned he had an engagement with the Armitages so I trusted to luck that he would travel to it with them, seeing as how he’s supposed to be interested in the Armitage girl. And sure enough, a likely-looking individual arrived. He went in the carriage with the family to a party in Cheapside, so Franklin figured he’d found his man.’

  ‘He didn’t leave the party with the Armitages?’ Jake clarified.

  ‘No, he stormed out in a right old temper, according to Franklin. Franklin confirmed Mason’s identity with Armitage’s coachman, so we know for sure it was him.’

  ‘A man of Armitage’s ilk keeps his own carriage and coachman?’ Fergus asked, allowing his surprise to show. ‘That would be a heavy expense, given that he can walk to his business and probably doesn’t have much need of a carriage.’

  ‘Nah, he hires one from a local livery yard and the same driver takes them each time. Chatty, he was, the coachman, that is. He told Franklin that none of the other drivers are keen on Armitage’s business, what with him being so mean with the stipends. Anyway, as to Mason, he walked, or rather strode about for a half an hour, muttering to himself, then took a cab to Goodge Street and went into a house there that’s divided into apartments. There was only lights in one window so Franklin enquired of the doorman and discovered it was occupied by Falconer.’

  ‘Falconer being a leading Radical, always at odds with Smallbrooke,’ Fergus said. ‘But he wouldn’t have killed him when he discovered he was a spy, would he?’

  Jake glowered at the opposite wall, increasingly uneasy about the entire business. ‘Not personally,’ he replied. ‘But he most likely arranged for the killing to be carried out.’

  ‘What connection could Mason, a largely unknown architect, have to Falconer?’ Fergus asked. ‘He must be intimately acquainted with him if he felt he could call upon him at such an unsocial hour.’

  ‘Not sure yet,’ Parker conceded. ‘They could be related, or have similar political opinions that drew them together.’

  ‘What do we know about the Radicals’ financial situation?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Parker replied. ‘You think this is all to do with money?’

  Jake shrugged. ‘Everything comes down to money, sooner or later. Politics is an expensive business.’

  ‘Do you imagine Armitage has offered them a large contribution if Mason agrees to marry his daughter?’ Parker shook his head. ‘Can’t see it myself.’

  ‘He married his son off for political expediency,’ Fergus pointed out.

  ‘If Armitage is so keen for his daughter to marry Mason, and Mason is somehow connected to Falconer, it’s a definite link between him and the Radicals,’ Parker said. ‘From what I know of Armitage, there is little he would not do to further his ambitions.’

  ‘Mason’s name didn’t come up in any of the reports Smallbrooke made to Thorndike before his death,’ Jake said. ‘Cartwright’s did. Isaac is doing a little digging into Cartwright’s background. The clerks in the law courts hear all the gossip and can usually be relied upon to repeat what they hear. Cartwright makes a point of prosecuting when with his reputation he could earn a great deal more by acting for the defence in high profile cases.’

  ‘But he acts for the Crown in the assumption that it will gain him recognition within the ranks of the powerbrokers, I suppose,’ Parker said.

  ‘Right.’ Jake nodded. ‘But it hasn’t happened and Cartwright has become a bitter man with an axe to grind against the establishment.’

  ‘We really need to know what’s going on inside Armitage’s factory. Thorndike knows the Radicals are plotting something that will make a splash but can’t find out anything now Smallbrooke is gone.’ Jake paced the length of the room in some agitation. ‘Time isn’t on our side.’

  ‘Don’t forget we’re also committed to finding Mabel’s father,’ Fergus said.

  ‘I think the two are connected,’ Jake replied. ‘Delve into Armitage’s business and we’ll find Lloyd, hopefully alive.’

  ‘Finch just delivered this, my lord.’ A footman stepped into Jake’s library and presented him with a salver. ‘He has been told to wait for a reply.’

  ‘From Olivia?’ Jake scowled, grabbed the note and broke the seal. ‘What the devil has she got herself into this time?’
/>   ‘Perhaps she has already got the information about John Travis’s habits that we asked her to obtain from Mabel.’

  ‘Let’s see.’ He unfolded the single sheet of paper.

  My Dear Jake,

  Unusual developments that I thought I should draw to your immediate attention. Amelia Armitage appeared at my door at first light. She declined Mr Mason’s proposal of marriage last evening and her father is in a dreadful taking, threatening all sorts of dire consequences if she does not reconsider. She doesn’t wish to reconsider, fears for her safety and so, naturally, I have offered her a roof over her head…

  ‘Naturally,’ Jake muttered, rolling his eyes, wishing she wasn’t quite so impulsive. This business was dangerous, Olivia knew that, but never gave a moment’s thought to her own safety.

  I thought you would like to meet her. She is not charitably inclined towards her father at present and might be able to help you in some way. I am keeping her and Mabel apart until I am sure which way the wind blows.

  Your friend and confidante, Olivia

  Jake passed the note to Fergus, who read it quickly then gave it to Parker.

  ‘Well, at least now we know why Mason was so angry,’ Fergus said. ‘But it’s less clear why he felt the need to visit Falconer in the early hours of the morning.’

  ‘Have the carriage brought round, Parker. Fergus and I are going to make Miss Armitage’s acquaintance.’

  A short time later, Jake and Fergus made their way towards Cheyne Walk as fast as the crowded streets would permit. Jake barely heard the competing cries of hawkers, the braying of a drove of donkeys that held up their progress as they were herded through the street ahead of them, or cursing of jarveys as they reined in their teams to let the animals pass. He set his lips into a firm line as he contemplated the task Thorndike had set him. It was evidently a great deal more complicated and had a great deal more significance for his political masters than the Prime Minister’s scheming gatekeeper had led Jake to suppose. For his own part, Jake didn’t mind a little intrigue but if he had unwittingly placed Olivia in danger’s path because he hadn’t been kept fully informed then he would not be responsible for his actions.