Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“Are you both sure of this plan?” George asked Henry and Isabelle as he glanced from one to the other with a raised eyebrow.

Stealing a glance at Isabelle, Henry quickly nodded. “Yes, we have gone over it a million times. There is no other way to stop the culprit.”

George simply nodded his agreement as the carriage rattled down the bumpy country lane.

Henry hadn’t liked Isabelle’s plan at all, but he knew deep down that the fire she’d had in her eyes matched the determination on the day they had met. If he were certain of anything, it was the fact that Isabelle Sutton could not be stopped once an idea had popped into her head.

Exchanging a glance with Isabelle, Henry could feel the pit of his stomach fluttering with nerves.

She loves me.

Her smile warmed his soul, making him feel happier than he had ever thought he had a right to be. He almost leaned in and kissed her when the moment lingered on for a little too long.

“I think we are here.” George interrupted the moment as the carriage came to a stop.

Isabelle cleared her throat and blinked a few times as if she had been in a daze. “Shall we go over things one last time?” She averted her gaze from Henry and looked at George.

“Aye, I am to wait for the signal and head to the stables as soon as the coast is clear. If everything you have told me is correct, then I believe that our best chance of finding evidence will be in there.” He nodded in agreement just as a footman came forward to open the carriage door.

Placing his hand on her arm, Henry held her back for a moment as George left. “Everything will be fine in the end.” He winked at her, causing a light sheen of colour to appear on her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, she gently squeezed his hand before stepping from the carriage.

Henry could hardly believe his eyes as he stared at the monstrosity of a house before him. If this was truly how wealthy the Church family was, then he wasn’t surprised that James was attempting to come by the title in dishonest ways. The estate alone was worth enough money to set anyone up for life.

“I didn’t think it was this big,” Isabelle whispered to Henry as he stopped at her side.

The large house, with at least four floors and hundreds of windows, boasted some of the finest masonry and architecture that Henry had ever seen. The white marble pillars and stone lions at the entryway were only some of the wonders to behold.

“Are you regretting your decision not to marry Lord James?” Henry leaned over and whispered in her ear, hoping to break some of the tension with a joke.

Turning her head to meet his gaze, Isabelle gave him a serious look. “Never,” she whispered back and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before quickly letting go and facing the butler who came to meet them.

His heart sang with unbridled joy as Henry lifted his chin to face the upcoming war.

The butler came striding towards them with lengthy steps. “My Lord and Lady, I was unaware we were expecting any guests this evening.” The tall man with a light moustache and brilliant green eyes greeted them with a bow. His long and pointed nose nearly reached his chest as he bowed.

It was Henry who spoke first when he realized that George had positioned himself behind the carriage out of sight. “I am afraid that the marquess is not expecting us, but he will want to hear what we have to say,” he said in a steady voice that conveyed the importance of the matter.

The butler’s bushy brows knitted together in a frown before he glanced at Isabelle. “I see; you may come with me while I send one of the servants to fetch his lordship.” He cleared his throat uncertainly before turning and gesturing for them to follow.

Taking his chance, Henry turned back to the carriage and motioned with his head for George to head to the stables in the distance. Facing forward again, he fell back into step with Isabelle and the butler before entering the house.

If they had thought that the outside of the house was grand, it was nothing compared to the splendour and grandeur of the inside. White marble floors shone with polish to the point where Isabelle and Henry could see their reflections as they walked. Every available inch of wall was covered in portraits of the family or enormous paintings of horses.

Henry couldn’t help feeling out of place as he and Isabelle were led into a drawing room twice the size of any he’d ever seen.

“I am sure his lordship will be down in a moment.” The butler bowed respectfully to them both and left the room.

“Is it any wonder that Lord James has a chip on his shoulder?” Isabelle looked around the room in astonishment.

“I think his lordship may take more than just a moment if he’s on the other side of the house. I’ve never been in a house as grand as this one. Do you think they have one of those chairs to carry the marquess from room to room?” he said rather seriously.

Isabelle looked at him with a frown before bursting into a fit of giggles that broke the tension.

A moment passed between them where Henry wished he could take her in his arms and show her just how much he longed to make her his wife. He could hardly picture his life without her as her smile lit up his world.

Leaning in slightly, Isabelle shut her eyes, allowing her naturally long lashes to caress the tops of her cheeks.

His heart raced at a million beats per second as he took a brief breath to prepare himself for their very first kiss.

“Lord Benedict Church, the Marquess of Everly,” The butler reappeared in the doorway and broke the moment with his announcement.

Jumping apart, the pair quickly sat up straight and looked ahead.

An older man with salt-and-pepper grey hair entered the room in a huff. His face resembled Lord James’ with the addition of wrinkles and a square chin that spoke of a strong lineage.

“Just who do you think you are barging in like this?” he barked at Henry before turning his focus on Isabelle. “And you, how dare you show up here after all the commotion you have caused? I should send for the solicitors at once and sue you for breach of promise.”

Isabelle came to her feet and faced the man head-on without so much as a flinch. “Forgive me, My Lord, but I do not think you will want to do that once you hear what we have to say.”

“And why exactly would I do that instead of having you thrown out?” He lifted his nose in the air and glared down at Isabelle with an intimidating stance.

“Because, My Lord, I think you will find it very interesting to know that your son, Lord James, has been going around the ton and making remarks of coming into an inheritance and a title. I thought it strange at first, but I can now see that he harboured a sinister purpose all along,” Isabelle answered him again without backing down.

The marquess seemed taken aback at first as he looked from one to the other, but he quickly waved the idea away with a scoff. “Stuff and nonsense, James has always been an ambitious young man. Surely, he misspoke about the title. My eldest son is on the mend and will make a full recovery in no time at all.”

It was Henry’s turn to add to the conversation as he stepped forward. “Quite strange that your eldest son would meet with a riding accident after years of having ridden his horse with no incidents. If I remember correctly, he has always placed first in any competition he chose to enter?’’ He raised an eyebrow conspiratorially to make his point.

The marquess’s frown deepened now as a strange look flashed across his face. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“What we are trying to say, My Lord, is that we don’t think the accident was, in fact, an accident. We believe that Lord James is trying to get rid of his brother in an attempt to gain the title along with the inheritance,” Henry stated, voicing the suspicions that he’d discussed with Isabelle the day before.

“What ridiculous accusations are these?” James stepped into the room and glared at Henry before spotting Isabelle. “You!” His face suddenly grew irate with anger as he attempted to lunge at her.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Henry stepped in front of her and stopped him just in time.

Pausing mid-lunge, James smirked before glaring at Henry. “And just what do you think you are going to do, you old cripple?” He laughed haughtily before receiving a hefty blow to the chin and falling on his bottom with a loud thud.

“I am going to protect the woman that I love; that is what I am going to do.” Henry narrowed his eyes and towered above Lord James.

The marquess saw fit to intervene as he stared down at his son. “That is more than enough from both of you. Get up before you make an even bigger fool of yourself. I always told you that your arrogance would someday lead to your downfall.” He shook his head in disgust as James attempted to stand, drops of blood dripping from his nose.

“I beg your pardon for interrupting, My Lord.” George, the runner, suddenly appeared in the doorway with a half-broken saddle in his hands.

“And who the devil are you supposed to be?” the marquees snapped as he whipped around.

Lifting his head with pride, George introduced himself as a member of the Bow Street Runners. “I know this may shock you, My Lord, but I have been helping Lord Ashford find Miss Sutton. In light of the recent events, I think there is something that you want to see.” He turned the saddle upside down in his hands and held it out for the marquess to see.

“What am I looking at?” The marquess’s frown deepened when he spotted the bottom of the saddle.

Coming forward, George pointed to some very visible saw marks where a support bar had clearly been removed. “I am guessing that the saddle has never been examined, owing to the fact that the incident was thought to be an accident,” he spoke respectfully.

“No, it was not examined.” The marquess clenched his jaw before turning back to his youngest son. “Is there anything you would care to explain, James?”

Seeing the colour drain from the man’s face, Henry watched as James began to panic.

“It’s all a lie! I never sawed that bar off; the saddle snapped because Thomas was not being careful! These are all lies. Why are you believing these beastly lies about your heir?” James gesticulated frantically and sprayed the world with drops of blood from his nose.

Anger filled the marquess’s face as he stared at his son. “Except you are not my heir; you have an older brother who is fully recovering from his ‘accident’. And what I find even more disturbing is the fact that you knew the bar had snapped without anyone ever mentioning it. Nobody, not even the doctor, ever mentioned anything about a bar snapping.”

Falling to his knees, James began to grovel at his father’s feet as he crawled forward. “Please, Father, forgive me, do not let them throw me in prison. It was temporary insanity that made me act the way that I did. Please, I can’t go to prison. Thomas is making a full recovery; no harm was done!” Tiny beads of sweat began to form on his temples and run down his face.

The marquess kept his cool despite the anger in his eyes. “Prison, who said anything about prison?”

A moment of relief flickered across James’s face before his father spoke again.

“No, no, no. No son of mine will be going to prison; that is far too great a mercy for you. The only punishment you shall receive is to be cut off from your family. If you cannot appreciate what you have, then you shall be thrown out without so much as a penny to your name.”

“Oh, Lord, no.” James’s face grew even paler as he crumbled into a pile of arms and legs, wailing as if he were a newly-born child.

“And if I am forced to help you, the only thing you can count on me for is a scathing recommendation for the military. You will have the lowest of low positions if I have anything to do with it.” The marquess finished speaking to his son and turned to George. “Young man, you have done far greater work than any constable I have ever seen. I will be wanting a word with you when this is all done. It would seem as if I need an expert to handle the security of my family.”

George beamed from ear to ear with pride as he stood to attention.

Turning back to Henry and Isabelle, the marquess addressed them both. “I must thank you both for saving the life of my eldest son. I can see now that if James hadn’t succeeded now, he would have only tried again.”

Twitching on the floor, James continued to whimper like a dog that had been kicked.

“And now that I have thanked you for your service, I will thank you for leaving my house and never returning. I wish you both the best with your plans, but I would like to put all of this behind me as soon as possible.”

“I think we can agree to those terms, My Lord.” Henry came forward and shook the man’s hand before reaching for Isabelle’s hand and pulling her out of the room and down the hall.

They had barely reached the bottom of the steps when Isabelle laughed.

“Henry, where are we going? You are going to make me fall if you don’t slow down!”

Stopping in his tracks, Henry caught her just before she collided with his chest. “We are going straight to your home and asking your brother for his blessing on our marriage. I do not care what anyone says. They can say that I am too old for you and you are too wild for me to tame! All I know is that we will be married before anyone else can interfere!” He laughed freely at the joy in her eyes as he turned back around and began to pull her towards the carriage.

“I can’t say I can argue with you on that score!” Isabelle’s voice was light and bubbly as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Moving forward with all the strength he could muster, Henry looked to the future and everything that now lay ahead for him and his new bride.

Who would ever have thought? Henry Montague is going to be married again.

The thought made him happier than he ever thought he had a right to be. Nothing mattered now except for his bride.