The Portrait of a Scarred Duke by Patricia Haverton

Chapter 26

When Seth left Elinor, he felt an insatiable pull to return to her side. He couldn’t enjoy her presence enough, and he liked to think that she felt similarly. Their conversation had been what he expected. Elinor wanted them to move slowly in their relationship, to treat their affections very tenderly.

I can do that for her. If that’s what she needs, I can do that.

He understood her reasons for not wanting to move their relationship along quickly, but everything in him wanted to soldier onwards and to charge ahead.

But as long as we’re together, that’s enough.

He entered his study, where Guillan waited for him, bent over the desk like an old tree to centuries of wind and rain. Papers were spread atop the desk with reckless abandon, and Seth grinned wryly. He much preferred to keep everything neat and orderly.

“I see you’re keeping out of mischief.”

Guillan arched an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine what you mean.”

“You didn’t tell anyone about Elinor and me, did you?”

Seth’s friend shook his head and gave him a look which was equally vexed and a little disappointed. “I would never do that, and besides, who would I tell? I’ve only been here a couple days.”

“Right,” Seth replied. “It just seems as though it’s somehow…gotten out.”

“It wasn’t me.”

Seth sighed. “Maybe we weren’t as careful as I assumed.”

Guillan smiled. “Maybe they noticed your lovestruck looks.”

Seth crossed the room and dragged a chair towards his friend. He collapsed into it and tipped his head back, his mind on Elinor’s expressive face and how the light shined in her brown hair. “Maybe so.”

Guillan tapped his fingers on the edge of the desk, looking contemplative. “I’m happy for you, for what it’s worth.”

“Thank you. Your approval means so much to me.”

Guillan gave him a small, assenting nod.

“So what do you think about this all?” Seth asked, sweeping a hand over the papers.

Seth wasn’t a fool, of course, and he knew something about how finances and transactions were listed and recorded. However, his friend had been an Earl for much longer than Seth had been a Duke, and it seemed like a good idea to have someone more experienced look over things.

“I think you’ve spent a rather substantial amount on bridges,” Guillan said.

“I noticed that, too,” Seth said, straightening in his chair. “I thought it was odd, and Henry assured me that there were repairs needed.”

“To the northern part of the dukedom? Right?”

This was the other reason Seth had thought to ask Guillan for his aid. The northernmost parts of the Dukedom of Worthwood bordered Guillan’s own earldom, and if there was a need for a substantial amount of bridge repairs in Worthwood, Guillan would know.

“It is. Henry assured me that they were needed.”

Guillan furrowed his brow and traced his finger over the careful figures written down. “But I don’t…I don’t think there were any. There haven’t been any new bridges in the northern part of Worthwood since before I became Earl. I don’t think this is right.”

Seth narrowed his eyes. “I’ve had some suspicions about Henry’s stewardship since the beginning, but I’ve never found any concrete evidence of any wrongdoing.”

“But you think there is some wrongdoing,” Guillan said.

“Yes.”

Admitting that felt like he was betraying Elinor, who’d asked him to have faith in her uncle and his skills. Elinor, who’d asked him to be patient. Seth closed his eyes and drew in a steadying breath.

“If that money didn’t go to repairing the bridges, where did it go?” Guillan asked. “Perhaps it’s a mistake.”

“How could it be?” Seth asked.

“Perhaps he wrote the figure down incorrectly,” Guillan pointed out, shuffling through papers.

“There should be receipts which add to that amount,” Seth said, peering at the date range listed.

“You’re right,” Guillan replied. “Hold on.”

Guillan moved a few papers around, his brow furrowing in concentration as he searched through them.

Seth himself leaned forward and looked at the offending page, the record for the expenses of the bridge repairs in the northern portion of his dukedom. The numbers seemed stark against the pale paper.

“You aren’t going to like this,” Guillan said. “I don’t see any receipts from that period of time. Not for any expenses in the north, at least.”

Seth raised an eyebrow, impressed that Guillan could say anything with certainty, considering the mess that the papers were in. But Seth trusted his friend. If Guillan had arranged the papers to suit him, he’d be able to find what he was searching for easily.

“They’re really not there?” Seth muttered, rubbing his jaw.

This didn’t bode well for either the dukedom or Henry.

“It’s possible it’s a mistake,” Guillan pointed out.

Seth hesitated, thinking that explanation over. Could it be a simple mistake that Henry had written the figure down improperly and then misplaced the receipts which went with it?

“Henry has been the steward for this dukedom since my father became the Duke of Worthwood. With all those years of experience, I can’t imagine him making a mistake like this.”

“True,” Guillan admitted, “and with an amount this significant, there should be many receipts—not just a few. It’s quite a lot to misplace.”

Seth clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to think about the implications of this, but they were becoming quickly clear. “If it isn’t a mistake,” he said slowly, “he’s likely stolen the money.”

“Likely,” Guillan agreed. “And if he’s done it once, you know he’s probably done it several times before. Quite often, I’d imagine.”

“Why would you think that?”

“This is very obvious,” Guillan replied. “If you were going to steal from a Duke, would you steal a large sum of money which you had no receipts for, not even forged ones?”

“No,” Seth said slowly. “I would do it in small amounts. I’d steal a little bit from many places. That wouldn’t be as easily noticed.”

“Precisely,” Guillan said. “That this is so blatant tells me that—maybe—your steward has been stealing from the dukedom for a long time. He no longer feels the need to try and hide what he’s doing.”

Seth crossed his arms and frowned. “Father never checked these records, according to Henry. If that’s true…”

“It would make sense that Henry has such confidence about not being caught in his crimes,” Guillan said. “Precisely.”

Seth rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “I’ll have to speak with him, and if this is true…”

“You can’t ignore this,” Guillan said. “Even if you’re trying to be kind.”

“Agreed,” Seth replied reluctantly. “Elinor will be…disappointed.”

Guillan frowned. “Elinor—” His words cut off abruptly.

“She’s his niece,” Seth said. “She had such…faith in him.”

Suddenly, it all seemed so perfect. The world settled into a disturbing clarity. Henry had been stealing from his father and him for years. And wasn’t it just so convenient that, when Seth had begun to mistrust Henry, his alluring niece Elinor had arrived. Not only that, but hadn’t Elinor spoken to Seth in defense of her uncle? At first, Seth had assumed that Elinor was just being kind and supportive. What loyal niece wouldn’t want her uncle to be liked by the Duke he served?

“She…can’t have been involved in this.”

Guillan seemed to stiffen. He drew his shoulders back, and his eyes shone with sympathy. “Maybe she isn’t,” he replied. “Maybe it’s just her uncle who has committed a crime.”

But the words sounded hollow to his own ears. Hadn’t her uncle Henry been the one to suggest that Richard Thorebourne, Elinor’s own father, paint his portrait? And Elinor had seemed so awkward when Seth first met her. He’d assumed that she was just unaccustomed to being around Dukes, but what if that wasn’t it? What if she’d been nervous because she knew the deception she was being asked to take part in?

“She was…she would’ve been the perfect distraction,” Seth said quietly.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean she was,” Guillan said slowly. “You love this woman, right? Surely, you’d know if she was trying to deceive you. You’re not an unobservant man.”

“Maybe not. But I’m not accustomed to being in love. And let’s think about it. Why would a beautiful, young woman be in love with me? What could I possibly give her?”

Seth climbed to his feet and began pacing the floor, while Guillan watched him. Seth’s friend tightened his grip on the papers until his knuckles were white, as if they were the only thing keeping him steady.

“You could give her so much, Seth,” Guillan said softly. “You are kind and intelligent and quick-witted. Any woman would be lucky to have you as her lover, husband, whatever it is that you’re hoping for.”

“I’m a fool, Guillan,” Seth muttered.

His chest ached, and a knot wedged itself in his throat. Seth felt as though his whole world was falling apart, and he’d have given anything to have time just stop. Elinor had played a part in this. It just made too much sense for her to have been used to play on his sympathies and affections.

“I should’ve—maybe her father wasn’t even ill. Maybe it was all a ruse, so she could take over painting my portrait. We did spend so much time together with only that maid Letty.”

Guillan sighed. “You don’t want to be hasty with your conclusions.”

“But you agree that it sounds very likely that she was involved in this all, don’t you?” Seth asked. “It makes too much sense.”

“It does make a great deal of sense,” Guillan conceded, “but I still have a difficult time believing that you wouldn’t have noticed there was something so strange about her. Even if she was involved with this, she hasn’t been from the beginning. I would imagine that Henry has been stealing from the dukedom for a long time. If we look further back, I would be willing to bet that there are other discrepancies.”

Seth sighed. “No, I imagine he brought Elinor in once he began to worry I’d catch him. He probably asked her to seduce me and therefore, throw suspicion from his own misdeeds.”

“But let’s pretend that is true,” Guillan said slowly. “If Henry asked his niece to aid him, she’s probably not well-practiced in the art of deception. Surely, you’d have noticed.”

Seth paced the floor and paused by the fireplace, thinking. Would he have noticed? Or would his love for Elinor have blinded him to all her faults? He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. Seth wished suddenly that he could be at sea again, surrounded by that familiar rocking and the salty smell of the air. His heart ached, because his mind drifted to Elinor’s eyes and how they were just the precise color of the sea on a stormy day.

“No,” Seth admitted at last. “I don’t think I would have noticed. I mean, I had no reason to believe that she was acting deceitfully, and I love her. So much that I wanted to marry her.”

I still want to marry her.

The realization hurt, and Seth didn’t dare turn and face his friend, for fear that Guillan would see the depth of distress which was surely painted across Seth’s face. “And there were some strange moments. I first became intrigued by her because she wasn’t like any woman I’d ever met before. Maybe that was really just her being nervous. Or maybe her trying to be compelling to better seduce me. Whatever her goals, I suspect they worked.”

“Then, you suspect they’re all involved.”

“Don’t you?”

Seth heard Guillan take in a sharp breath of air. For a long moment, silence stretched between the two of them. Seth’s heart hammered against his ribs, so fiercely and so persistently that he thought he might be sick.

“I do agree that it’s rather suspicious,” Guillan conceded, “and it’s entirely possible—probable even—that the entire family was involved. But we can’t say for sure. Thus far, we’ve evidence only that Henry is.”

Seth sighed. “But I can’t take that risk, can I? I can’t pretend that Elinor’s involvement isn’t wholly possible. Understandable, even. This is her family we’re discussing. It’s expected that she’d be loyal to them.”

He felt as if his heart had been torn from his chest. There didn’t seem to be enough air in the room, and he remained very still. Seth felt quite suddenly that if he moved to quickly he might just break into pieces right in front of Guillan. And that wouldn’t do at all. A Duke was meant to be strong and composed, always.

“You shouldn’t take the risk,” Guillan said. “You need to be cautious because if she is involved—”

“But what can I do? If—if she was trying to seduce or distract me, there won’t be any proof of it unless she confesses. And why would she implicate herself like that?”

He didn’t want to believe Elinor was capable of any deception, but Seth just didn’t know. And with the future of the dukedom at stake, this wasn’t a situation where he could really take a chance. No, this was a time when he had to be safe and cautious. This wasn’t a situation which could be solved by plunging forward into the unknown.

“Oh, my friend,” Guillan said, his voice softening. “I’m so sorry that this is what you’ve returned to. Maybe—maybe Elinor can prove her innocence to you.”

That didn’t feel fair to her, but it was preferable than the alternative. Seth feared that this would all end with him alone and heartbroken. He drew in an uneasy, shuddering breath. Why had it happened this way?

“I’ve thought often since I returned that I—I might’ve been very starved of female company while at sea,” Seth said. “I know I was. And I’ve often considered that my attraction to Elinor was because of that. I longed too much for a woman’s touch and attention, and it seems I’ve paid for that flaw.”

“It isn’t a flaw to want someone to love you.”

Seth glanced over his shoulder, at last meeting his friend’s gaze. “I was really hoping that Elinor was right and that I was just being…impulsive. Young.”

“I know you were. Any man in your position would’ve felt the same.”

“Yourself included?” Seth asked.

“Myself included. You aren’t a fool, even if you might feel like one now.”

Seth would have to confront her, confront all of them, and although he’d never been a man who disliked confrontation, he found himself hesitating then. This would end everything between himself and Elinor, the woman who he’d given his heart to. Who he’d thought of marrying!

“But I must do this,” Seth murmured.

The sooner, the better. He rubbed his temples. A shudder tore through him, and he sighed. When Seth confronted them all, it would change everything forever.