Chapter Twenty-Eight

I nspector Liam Ashton

“Your name is Bernice Rose Natham and your sister is Eloise. The Right Honorable Eloise Natham I presume.” I stared at Birdie in the dim hallway and tried to process the information. I’d had a hunch early on that something wasn’t quite right about her story and now the pieces began to fall into place. “ You are a lady.”

“It is a complicated story.” She worried the tip of her glove, her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Then enlighten me.” I crossed my arms, betrayal cutting deep. It was unfounded because she hadn’t actually betrayed me per se. She had fooled Moran, and her actions could jeopardize more than her position at the publishing house.

Jaw jutted out, she shook her head. “It is irrelevant. I need to care for my sisters, and being the daughter of a baron isn’t financially lucrative.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Had you truly been married, or is that a lie as well?”

“I did what was necessary to survive.” She continued to stare at me with defiance and a touch of fear in her eyes.

“So you made up a fake husband?” Hurt mingled with my growing ire. She’d spurned my courtship with a claim of being in love with her dead husband. It shouldn’t have stung but it did.

“I did what I had to do to provide for my family,” she repeated through gritted teeth.

“You lied to Moran and to me.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice to not be overheard. “He trusted you, and you have betrayed his trust.”

“How have I betrayed him? I have proven my ability to do everything I promised and more.”

“He has feelings for you, a rarity for Moran.”

“I doubt they run too deep, other than lust. He is courting another woman.” Hurt and anger laced her words, speaking of her upset over the matter.

If I hadn’t been so upset with her, I would consider it a win. “You do him a disservice.”

“You do me a disservice.” Nose to nose with me, she glowered. “There are few opportunities open to unmarried women. I tried the honest route and had more doors closed than opened. Save for domestic, or factory work, or nursing, very few people—men I should say, will hire an unmarried woman.”

I exhaled a long breath, trying to maintain a semblance of control. “You should have told him the truth.”

“It is easy for you to judge me, and Suzette. You have every opportunity to follow your dreams. We are limited in our resources.” She rocked back on her heels and shook her head. “If you truly want to understand Suzette, stop judging her with your own standards.”

“This isn’t about Suzette and me. It is about you lying to Moran and to me.” I dug my heels into the floorboard, resisting the urge to pace. Her observations hit home, yet I still couldn’t soften toward her. “You were a virgin, and you let him bed you.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” She continued to sway on her feet, agitation in every gesture.

“You fooled him into thinking you were an experienced woman.” My own temper sparked brighter at the notion. “We could have been letches of the worst sort and taken advantage of your innocence.”

“I never claimed to be experienced, neither is that here nor there. I gave myself freely to him.” She poked me in the chest with one finger. “It was my choice to give, and frankly, it was none of his affair.”

“I bet he would beg to differ.” Moran had avoided virgins like the plague. “There is a reason he only courts widows who know the lay of the land.”

“You may be listening to me, but you are not hearing what I am saying. Losing my virginity was my choice, nobody else’s. I am not under any man’s thumb, nor am I obligated to explain myself. Suffice it to say, if I were a man, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Indeed, you would offer me celebratory brandy and encourage me to boast about my conquest. Isn’t that the way of men?”

Her reply brought me up short. I had forgotten about her blunt nature instead of the sultry woman she’d proved herself to be. “You are a lady. A member of the upper crust.” Another shock to my already shocked sensibilities. Over the years, I developed a genuine dislike for most of the aristocracy for many reasons. If one possessed enough power and influence, they were above the law.

She persisted, “You are skirting my question.”

“I wasn’t aware you asked me one.”

Birdie opened her mouth before she closed it with a snap. Head angled, she held my gaze. “Now who is avoiding the truth?”

Despite my continuing anger, a sheepish smile broke through. “Fine, you are right. I would be celebrating. Except you aren’t a man. You are a lady .” I still found it hard to fathom that she had tricked me into thinking she was part of the working class.

“I am a lady.” She placed her hands on her hips, her combative stance more pronounced. “And you have expressed your contempt for the gentry in no uncertain terms. Is that the true reason for your anger? If I were the grocer’s daughter, would you be able to forgive my transgressions?”

“I can’t stomach lying.” I snapped the words out, her accusations cutting into my core like a sharp dagger. “You lied.”

“You are a hypocrite.” She ground out, glancing at the closed door, her jaw clenched. “You told me Moran wasn’t doing anything illegal. That isn’t true, is it? What we did could be dangerous for all of us.”

“Are you trying to blackmail him?” I couldn’t believe the turn of the conversation.

Her hand flew to her chest, her expression falling. “Have you so little respect for me that you think I would do something so underhanded to the man I love?”

The words cut through the tension like nothing else could.

“You are in love with Moran?” Triumph, along with consternation hit me all at once. I had been after him to propose to her, and now that she admitted her feelings, my own were mixed.

She rubbed at her face, blocking her expression from view. “I am, but you can’t tell him. I, well, I will tender my resignation tomorrow.”

“No.” The comment left my lips before I realized it. “No, you can’t do that. You must tell him the truth.”

“I can’t tell him the truth. He hates the gentry as much as you do.” Shoulders hunched, she released a soft sob. “He will be livid with me.”

“Oh, bother.” I pulled her into my arms. She was right on that score.

“I need this job. I have my sisters to worry about.”

“What of your father?” The burden she carried was heavy and while I sympathized, I still had to calculate Moran into the equation.

“He is out of the country taking the waters in Greece. As I said, he isn’t an exemplary father.”

I tilted her chin up with my finger. “You need to tell Moran the truth. If you like, I will be there for moral support.”

She shook her head in vehement denial. “I can’t risk it. I am sorry. I know he is your friend, and you think I betrayed him, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

I buried my fingers into her hair, inhaling the subtle scent of cinnamon that lingered from her bath. It was on the tip of my tongue to assure her that wouldn’t be the truth, but I couldn’t utter the statement. “I can’t keep this from him. You will need to make a decision. Either you tell him, or I will.”

Birdie pushed out of my arms, wiping at the moisture on her cheeks. “That is blackmail.”

If it took blackmail to get the two of them together, then I would use it. He might react strongly to her lying, but in the end, he would understand her reasons. “Moran is a reasonable man, and I can tell you with complete confidence that he feels the same way about you that you feel about him. He’s simply too stubborn to admit it.”

“While I appreciate your assurances, I think you are wrong.”

The door opened, and Violet appeared again. “Is Inspector Ashton staying for supper?”

“I will be right in,” Birdie said, evading her question. Once the door closed again, she offered a wavering smile. “Under the circumstances, I think it best that we call it an evening. You have given me a lot to think about. Promise me you will let me tell him in my own time and in my own way?”

“I will try to be patient, but I bid you not to draw it out too long. It will only get worse over time, not better.”

With a nod, she entered the flat and closed the door behind her, leaving me alone once more. Trotting down the stairs, her words about Suzette resonated with me. For too long, I had focused on what I wanted and couldn’t truly understand why Suzette hadn’t accepted my offer for her hand. I had refused to let Suzette go despite her wishes, and she had balked. Perhaps Birdie wasn’t the only one lying to herself.

Suzette had gained her independence and hadn’t wished to give it up. Life had thrown strife in her way, and she recovered the only way she could. I exited the boarding house and strode down the street. It was time to let Suzette go. I couldn’t save the world, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t safeguard my heart. Light spilled out from one of the many pubs scattered throughout the neighborhood. I entered the warm interior and spied a familiar face from the force.

Drink rarely solved a problem, but tonight, I would let it dull mine.