When Scandal Came to Town (Scandalous Sons 3)

Benedict cleared his throat and regaled the tale told to them by Rosamund Fox. He then informed Lady Murray that a witness had placed her in the retiring room with Cassandra. That a witness saw her bundle Cassandra into a carriage in the mews.

“Without doubt, you are both to blame.” Cassandra’s cold tone conveyed her feelings for the perpetrators of the crime. “And yet when one examines the facts, there are discrepancies in the tale.”

Benedict frowned, curious as to his wife’s train of thought.

“Father,” she began, the word full of contempt. “I am in no doubt you caused me untold anguish, that you planned to force Timothy to marry me quickly. Then you would champion his ambitions in government and use him for your own devious ends.”

A tense silence hung in the air while everyone waited for Cassandra to continue. Indeed, the earl did not deny the accusation.

“But you, Lady Murray, your actions are at odds with what I know of your character.”

The matron shook her head. “I haven’t the first clue what you mean.”

“Let us suppose you wanted Timothy to marry quickly in the hope of controlling his outrageous spending. Let us all agree that you are guilty of orchestrating my ruination. All for your beloved son’s benefit I might add.”

“Is it wrong to want the best for one’s offspring?”

“Not at all, which is why I cannot believe you would arrange for influential men like Lord Purcell to arrive at the Serpentine to witness your son’s disgrace. You want him to be a man of power and position and yet being caught supposedly compromising me would harm his reputation amongst his peers.”

Benedict absorbed the information and had to agree with Cassandra’s assessment.

“Peasants frolic in the park,” Blackbeck muttered from his position at the back. “When a gentleman of refinement seduces a woman, he does so with a little more finesse.”

“Precisely,” Cassandra said, keeping her gaze trained on Lady Murray. “And so you had my father assist in your plan knowing you had no intention of giving your son the letter, knowing those gentlemen would find me alone in the park and then your son would have good cause to end our betrothal.”

Worthen’s face twisted in fury. “You … you evil witch!” The blade at his throat prevented him from jumping to his feet.

Lady Murray smirked. “You must admit, I had you fooled right to the very end.”

“Except that you knew nothing of your son’s affair with Miss Fox,” Cassandra added. No one had suspected that. “Rosamund had her own reasons for intervening. She sent the letter to Benedict knowing he would arrive in your son’s place.”

Benedict scoffed. “And now Murray will have no option but to marry Miss Fox, a woman lacking the funds necessary to ease the burden of his excessive spending.”

A chuckle escaped the matron’s lips. “You think

my need to sever ties with the earl stemmed from worries about money? Piffle! I conspired to keep my son from being used to further Lord Worthen’s ends.”

And there it was.

The bare truth of the matter.

As cold and as stark as the bitter night air.

“Judas!” Worthen unleashed a torrent of abuse from his chair. “You’ll pay dearly for this, you old trot. I shall spend the rest of my life finding ways to punish your pathetic son.”

While everyone watched the hullabaloo, Cassandra breathed a sigh and stepped back. Benedict caught her in his arms as her shoulders sagged and knees buckled.

“Make no mistake, my love,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple, “we are the victors in this game. Their meddling brought us together. For that, I shall always be grateful.”

She looked up and gently cupped his bruised cheek. “I love you. There is no man in this world as honourable as you.”

Despite a room full of witnesses, Benedict would have kissed her, had Lady Murray not jumped to her feet and cried, “Enough of this nonsense! I’ll not sit here and be insulted by this whore’s bully. I insist you take me home at once.”

Cassandra smiled as her hand slipped from Benedict’s cheek and came to rest on his chest. “Would you like to deliver the bad news, or shall I?”

“While I would like nothing more than to knock the arrogant smirks off both their faces, I think you should show them that you’re not a woman who takes treachery lightly.”

Mischief danced in her eyes. She squared her shoulders and swung around to face Lady Murray. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Mortimer Street won’t be your home for much longer.”