Caught in a Cornish Scandal Eleanor Webster (new books to read .TXT) 📖

and felt the clasp of his hand on her shoulder as though to swing her around. ‘You are to be married?’

She glanced back at him and saw an expression of his face which was not anger. She wished she could pull back her words or, at least, say them better and less harshly. ‘Sam, I—It is not—’

A loud knocking reverberated through the house. Flora’s hurried footsteps sounded in the hallway outside.

‘Why did not you say something?’ His tone was hard with anger, his expression closed and jaw tight.

‘Perhaps we were too busy running from pirates.’ She turned, walking into the outer hall, forcing her expression to be calm.

Married.

The word had struck him with an almost physical force, leaving him feeling winded. How could she have let him kiss her and hold her and lust after her if she was promised to another?

For a moment, he could not follow her. He was not a man of emotional extremes and yet in the last thirty minutes he’d swung like a weather vane in a storm. Had it happened again? Had he again missed the truth staring him in the face? He thought of Miss Whistler with her vows of eternal love until the advent of the wealthy duke with his land and title.

Married!

So much for Miss Lansdowne’s blunt talk about honesty. He’d thought her different. She’d seemed different. Did all women hide the truth? His own mother could not admit she was dying. Annie could not admit she was on sale to the highest bidder and Millicent Lansdowne could not admit she was engaged.

Loud voices from the hallway stirred him into action. Forcibly squashing down the muddle of emotion, he opened the parlour door. The entrance way was surprisingly crowded. Sir Anthony and Mrs Ludlow stood within the hallway while Flora was on one side of the front door with Millie at the base of the staircase, blocking access to the upper storey.

‘Miss Lansdowne,’ Sir Anthony was speaking to Millie, his face puckered with concern. ‘I am sorry to intrude. This is Mrs Ludlow. I am sure you are acquainted.’

‘I understand that my dear daughter-in-law is staying here,’ Mrs Ludlow said, interrupting any response Millie might have made. ‘I wish to speak to her.’

‘She has retired for the evening,’ Millie said.

Sam stepped into hallway, facing Mrs Ludlow. ‘Why are you here? How did you even know to come here? Did you have me followed?’

‘I am so sorry, Mr Garrett. I did not want to do it.’ Mrs Ludlow clutched her long grey cloak about her, as though needing to keep herself together, crossing her arms more tightly. ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have done so, but when I learned that Frances had left Sir Anthony’s I had to know where she was. You see, I am so worried for my son and, now, my grandson. She is not well. You must see that.’

‘I—’ Sam paused, momentarily uncertain, the image of Frances’s face and darting gaze flickering in front of his inner eye.

Millie spoke, stepping into his confused silence. ‘Mrs Ludlow, I quite understand your worry. However, both Noah and your daughter-in-law are quite safe under this roof.’

Mrs Ludlow’s worried gaze shifted to the younger woman. ‘Please, Miss Lansdowne, I only want what is best for the baby. Mrs Ludlow may have...may have hurt my son. I hope not, but it is possible. I would like to take the child home.’

‘The child’s home is with his mother and I am not waking my guest and her child at this late hour and in such inclement weather. It would hardly improve Mrs Ludlow’s health or that of the child.’

Mrs Ludlow’s gaze focused on Millie with sudden intent, as though she had not properly studied her until this moment. She straightened, her aspect suddenly more closely resembling the woman Sam remembered from London. ‘I must insist that you allow us to remove the child.’

‘Absolutely not.’ Millie’s firm tone and air of command was at odds with her small stature. ‘That will not occur unless Sir Anthony has a warrant for Frances Ludlow’s arrest. Do you have such a thing?’ Millie turned towards that gentleman.

‘No, Miss Lansdowne,’ he said, looking very much as though he hoped the floor would open and provide him some escape. Or, failing this, a bolt of lightning would not be unwelcome.

‘Then it will be best for everyone if we allow Mrs Ludlow to rest,’ Millie said.

‘Miss Lansdowne, I may have lost my son, but I will not lose my grandchild. I will proceed with a warrant, tomorrow, as you give me no other choice.’

‘You won’t,’ Sam said.

‘Pardon?’

‘You will not get a warrant or disturb my sister tomorrow,’ Sam said.

‘I cannot see how you can prevent me. I am quite certain that Sir Anthony would agree there is sufficient evidence to suggest that your sister has some involvement in my son’s disappearance. They fought and she was the last person to see him alive.’

‘She was not,’ he said.

‘How would you know?’

‘Because I was.’

Chapter Ten

Everyone turned and stared at Garrett, the movement happening almost in unison. There was a moment of stunned silence when Millie thought she could hear each person’s breath and even the blinking of their eyes.

‘That—that is ludicrous,’ Mrs Ludlow said, her jaw slackened. Her hair was threaded with grey and dark shadows ringed her eyes. For a moment, she shifted from middle-aged to old.

‘It isn’t. I fought with Mr Ludlow and we both fell into the sea. My sister was nowhere in sight.’

‘You are confessing to my son’s murder?’

‘I am confessing to a fight and to the fact that my sister was in no way involved.’

Sir Anthony stepped forward, belatedly attempting to take control of the situation. Millie had known him for all her life and he was seldom able to control anything, even his household staff. This level of absurdity would be totally beyond his ability, she thought, oddly dispassionate.

‘Right, well, indeed,’ Sir Anthony said, as though by throwing out enough exclamations he might pretend some command. ‘Indeed,