Chapter 24

Twenty-Four

L ily was terrified. She had never seen her father so angry. The steel of the dagger glinted in the sunlight coming through the hallway window, as Maximilian held out his arms, shielding Lily from the attack.

"You're coming with me, Lily," her father snarled.

"I'm not. I don't want to. I don't want anything to do with you," she cried, and Connor's eyes flashed with anger.

"It was always the same. Men like this – the Duke, his brother, now his son, taking what they wanted and leaving ruin and destruction in their wake," Connor replied, and with a sudden movement, he made a lunge for Maximilian, who fell back with a cry.

The commotion now brought footsteps on the stairs, the opening of doors, the shout of voices. Lily, too, fell back, screaming, as her father and Maximilian struggled on the hallway floor. The duke was there now, along with William, and several of the other servants.

"Get hold of him…my God, Connor," the duke exclaimed, as Lily's father was seized by two of the footmen and hauled to his feet, the dagger knocked from his hand.

Breathless, his collar torn, his waistcoat disheveled, he cursed the duke, as Lily helped Maximilian to his feet. He had a cut to the arm, and Lily took out her handkerchief to stem the flow of blood, as the duke looked from one to the other in astonishment.

"Are you all right?" Lily said, holding Maximilian in her arms.

"I'll be all right," he said, as the duke turned to Connor.

"I thought you were in prison. You knew the price if you returned. What's the meaning of it?" he demanded.

Connor pointed angrily at Lily, his face contorted with rage.

"Ask my daughter," he snarled.

The duke's eyes grew wide, and the duchess – who had been standing in horror at the bottom of the stairs – gasped.

"Daughter? But Lily…is this true?" she asked, and Lily nodded.

"It's true, your Grace. I'm not Lily Porter. I'm Lily Edge, and Connor's my father. I'm not proud of it, and I'm so very sorry for all that's happened. I sought to betray you all for his sake," she stammered.

The duke shook his head, and Maximilian now pulled away from Lily's embrace, leaving her standing alone before them. The duchess and William exchanged glances.

"What does she know?" Maximilian's mother asked.

"She knows everything, Mother. They were going to publish it in the scandal papers. She wrote them – all of them," Maximilian said.

Lily was humiliated and tears welled up in her eyes. She was filled with sorrow and regret, and yet she knew it was entirely of her own doing. She had trusted her father, and he had betrayed her.

"I thought it was all over. I thought we'd heard the last of Connor Edge, but it seemed I was wrong. You were the cuckoo in the nest. It's a betrayal. But I can't be merciful this time, Connor – I'll have you locked away for the rest of your life. I've got the papers to prove your past misdeeds, and now you try to kill my son and expose me to scandal. That's the end of it, Connor," the duke said, shaking his head.

"I won't rest until you're brought down," Connor snarled.

Lily looked imploringly at Maximilian. She knew she did not deserve forgiveness. She had behaved as badly as her father. She had colluded with him, and even in her deep remorse, there could be no escaping her complicity in what had happened. He had used her, and she had been so blinded by loyalty as to not see the truth, until it was too late. William shook his head.

"You've tried many times, Connor – you tried the same with me. But it won't work. When will you realize it's you that's wrong? You're the one who's done this – all of it. You tried to blackmail my mother, and my godfather and godmother. You drew me into your wicked schemes. I trusted you, too," he said, glancing at Lily, as though with a hint of understanding.

"And you were a fool to believe their lies, too," Connor exclaimed, but William shook his head.

"There's only one fool here, Connor, and it's you. You're the one who deceived yourself. You were greedy, and you wanted revenge, and now you've even used your own daughter to secure it. You're a pitiable man," he replied.

Lily could hardly bear to look at her father. Everything she had believed about him lay in tatters, like the torn scandal sheets. He was the real scandal, and Lily would not have blamed Maximilian if he now dragged her name into the mud, too.

"Summon the magistrate. Have him returned to prison. Lock him up for now," the duke said, turning to the butler, who nodded.

"As you wish, your Grace," he replied, and the footmen dragged Connor away, as the duke turned to Lily.

Her hands were trembling, and she looked down at the black and white checkered marble floor, wishing she was anywhere but there.

"I suggest you consider carefully who you trust from now on, Lily," he said, and shaking his head, he turned towards his study.

William followed him, and the duchess led Maximilian away to the morning room.

"I'm sorry," Lily cried out, but her words fell on deaf ears, and she was left standing alone in the hallway, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You poor thing," Alicia said, putting her arms around Lily, who sobbed into her shoulder.

"It was terrible…the look on his face…the things he said. He wasn't my father, but he was my father. All these years…the betrayal," Lily said, as Alicia held her tight.

Alicia had been waiting for Lily's return, uncertain of what had happened to her friend, who had hurried from the house without a word. The arrival of her father had upset her dreadfully – the revelation of the truth as to what he had done shaking Lily to her core. Alicia's parents had sent him away, but not before Maximilian had discovered the truth. It was dreadful, and whilst Alicia had, at first, felt angry with Lily, she could now only feel sorry for her in the wake of the tragedy she had suffered.

"But he can't hurt you anymore, Lily. They'll return him to prison – he tried to kill Maximilian. It'll be years before they release him – if ever," Alicia replied.

Lily had furnished her with a brief account of events, but Alicia still had many questions, not least as to what Maximilian's intentions towards Lily were now.

"I know…but it's the betrayal. The things I did for him. I wanted to ruin them all," she said, looking at Alicia, her face stained with tears.

"But you didn't. You realized what was happening, and you prevented it. No one knows the secret – apart from us – and we're not going to say anything. Besides, it's in the past. The Duke died many years ago. It doesn't matter now, does it?" she said, but Lily shook her head.

"What I was going to do matters, though," she replied.

Alicia sighed. She could see the guilt in Lily's face, and she knew her friend was hurting dreadfully.

"But you didn't do it. You were going to do those things because you believed your father to be in the right. You know the truth now, and that's what matters. There'll be no publication, no more printing from The Broker Press. You've learned a valuable lesson, Lily," Alicia said, and Lily nodded.

They were sitting in the drawing room. Alicia's parents were out, but they would soon return, and Alicia knew they would have many questions for Lily. She wanted to protect her friend, and she knew her sorrow was sincere. Lily was sorry, but as for forgiveness, that could not be guaranteed.

"In the past, I never thought about the people behind the scandal papers. It didn't matter to me. They didn't matter to me. But now I realize…well…there's always another side to the story, isn't there?" Lily said.

Alicia was glad to hear Lily say this. On discovering Lily to be the author of the scandal sheets, Alicia had been shocked. She had seen lives destroyed by gossip, and she knew how easily lies could spread. There was nothing noble in such exposure, only a desire for titillation and gossip.

"There is, and you've discovered that the hard way, Lily. You've become part of the scandal yourself. You are the scandal. You discovered a different side to Maximilian, one you weren't expecting. He's not the man you believed him to be, and I can see how you feel about him. You're in love with him," Alicia said.

Lily sighed, sinking into a chair by the window and burying her head in her hands. Alicia kneeled at her side.

"And he was in love with me, too," she replied.

Alicia slipped her hand into hers. A thought had just occurred to her, even if she felt uncertain as to pursuing it. Lily had hurt her, but she deserved a second chance, and with a sudden resolve, Alicia rose to her feet.

"I'll go and talk to them. I'll make them understand," she said.

Lily looked up at her in astonishment.

"But you can't. It won't work," she said, but Alicia shrugged.

"There's nothing to lose then," she replied.

Lily had behaved terribly, but Alicia knew there was another side to her – a caring, gentle side. They had been friends long enough for her to know that, and when Alicia had needed a place to stay, Lily had been the one to provide it. She valued their friendship, and she hated to see Lily upset.

"But what are you going to say?" she asked.

"I don't know yet, but I'll think of something," Alicia replied, and without further ado, she hurried from the drawing room.

As Alicia approached Burnley Abbey, her heart was beating fast. She was determined to do what she could for her friend, even as she knew Maximilian had every right to refuse to even listen. He had behaved as a rake in the past, but it was clear he had turned over a new leaf, and in Lily, at least for a short while, he had found a reason to do so.

Perhaps I can persuade him to see things differently, she thought to herself, even as she knew she had a monumental task ahead of her.

Standing at the door, she took a deep breath and knocked. It was opened by the butler, who informed Alicia the duke and duchess were "otherwise engaged."

"But I've got to see them. It's about Lily and Lord Maximilian," Alicia said.

The butler raised his eyebrows, but before he could utter a further refusal, a voice behind him interrupted.

"Gregson, who is it?" and the duchess herself appeared at the door.

Alicia curtsied.

"Please, your Grace. I must speak to you about Lily. She's terribly upset. She's not to blame for all of this…well, some of it, perhaps. But her father…she's only a child," Alicia said, stammering over her words, even as the duchess nodded.

"Come in, Alicia. I understand," she said, and Alicia was ushered into the house.

The duchess led her into the drawing room, where they found the duke deep in conversation with the Baron of Mowbray. Both men looked up in surprise at Alicia, who now felt terribly nervous.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, your Grace," she said, and the duchess explained the reason for Alicia's – much more eloquently than Alicia's earlier stammering had conveyed.

It seemed she understood just what Connor Edge was like, and was not in the least bit surprised to find even his own daughter manipulated by him.

"It's a cruel and wicked thing – but I wouldn't have expected any less from Connor. I don't blame Lily. Connor has a way of inciting loyalty," the duke said, glancing at the baron, who nodded.

"It was just the same for me. I trusted him. I had no reason not to. I thought myself foolish. But if he can fool his own daughter, well…what hope did I have?" William asked.

There was no sign of Maximilian himself, and Alicia wondered what his feelings towards Lily now were. It seemed the duke and duchess would be understanding. They knew what Connor was like. But Maximilian surely felt the sense of betrayal more acutely, and if he chose not to forgive Lily, there would be little Alicia could do to persuade him otherwise.

"You know what it is we speak of, don't you, Alicia?" the duke said, and Alicia nodded.

"I do, but I want you to know…well, I was appalled when I discovered Lily was the author of the scandal sheets. I'd never…" she said, her words trailing off at the thought of such a possibility.

"And we're grateful for that," the duke replied.

But it was Maximilian Alicia needed to convince, and now she spotted him through the drawing room window, outside in the rose garden.

"Do you think I can talk to Lord Maximilian? I know he must feel terribly hurt, but…surely there's a way to convince him of Lily's sorrow. She's just a child, hurt by her father. She did a terrible thing, but…might he forgive her?" Alicia asked.

The duke and duchess exchanged glances.

"We've seen quite a change come over Maximilian since he met Lily. He's a different man – totally different. Before the Miller Howe ball, when he told us he intended to dance with a woman he had met at the market, we were naturally dubious. But Lily changed him. He fell in love with her, but I don't know if he can forgive her," the duchess said, shaking her head sadly.

"He deserves the chance to do so, though," the duke said, and Alicia was glad to think she might have a chance – if only one – to change Maximilian's mind.

"I'll call him in from the rose garden. It's his refuge," the duchess said, and excusing herself, she went outside.

Alicia was left with the duke and the baron, the two men exchanging glances as the duchess left.

"We gave Connor every chance we could," the duke said.

"But he proved himself unworthy in every way," the baron concluded.

Alicia knew the hurt they had endured at Connor's hands. It was the same hurt she had seen in Lily, too. Connor was a betrayer, and if he could betray even his own daughter, it seemed there was little hope of his redemption.

"What's going to happen to him?" Alicia asked.

"He'll be returned to prison. And may God have mercy on his soul. I once tried to see the best in him, but I can't see anything good in him now. He wanted to destroy us. Not because of anything we'd done to him, but because of greed – pure and simple. But he's gone too far now. It's one thing to betray someone else's family. But quite another to betray your own," the duke said, shaking his head.

Alicia agreed, and she could only hope Maximilian would, too…