Something Scandalous

“I didn’t want to tell you this, but I found the late duke’s journal in my bedroom.”

Slowly, she sat back down on the sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because there was nothing in there about your mother. And what was written was mostly about his affairs.” Will turned and held her hands. “I am sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

She pulled her hands away and began rubbing her temples. “I had always assumed they had both been unfaithful, but never could I have imagined something as depraved as this.”

“Lady Cantwell, do you have any information regarding exactly who Elizabeth’s father might be?” Will asked, suddenly tired of this conversation. More than anything, he wanted to hold Elizabeth and comfort her.

Lady Cantwell pulled out a few old journals of her own. She flipped through some pages before stopping and glancing up at them. “Based on Elizabeth’s birth date, I would assume it was someone at the Langford country party. Unfortunately, the Langfords were much like the duke and duchess. They assumed everyone had only one thing on their mind—sex. Not that I approved or participated in such goings on, but I knew they happened. Let me read this for a moment.”

The room went silent while Lady Cantwell read from her diary. “Ah, here it is. ‘The party lasted for close to a month, starting in early July.’”

Something about that bothered Will. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but a sense of unease filled him. “Lady Cantwell, would you happen to know if my father attended the party?”

She leveled him a strange look but then flipped through several pages rather quickly. “I do not mention him but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there. Your father tended not to go to such frivolous things. He was a very serious man.”

Will agreed. “Yes, he was.” And he loved his wife far too much to have an affair with the duchess.

“So all we know is my father most likely attended a country party and that is where I was conceived,” Elizabeth stated with no emotion.

“Elizabeth, I do have several men listed whom I know either had red hair or had red-haired children. Perhaps it might help if I made you a list of those gentlemen.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Somerton might find that list helpful, Will thought. Now that they knew where her mother was at the time of conception, perhaps Somerton would be able to discover his father’s whereabouts, too. Then they could be done with this sordid mess.

Lady Cantwell wrote down the names of five gentlemen and handed it to Elizabeth. “I know this is hard on you, my dear. But to the world, you are the duke’s daughter. He never denounced you. He accepted you as his own.”

Even Will knew that was not true. The old duke made Elizabeth’s life a nightmare by telling her the truth of her parentage.

“Thank you, Lady Cantwell,” Elizabeth said, standing up.

“If I can think of anything else that might help you, I will let you know.”

Elizabeth nodded.

They walked silently out to the carriage. As the door shut and the horses ambled away, the tears flowed down Elizabeth’s cheeks. Will quickly shifted and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him as her tears told of her heartbreak.

“How could she have done this?” she sobbed.

“I don’t know,” Will replied. He didn’t think there was anything he could say or do that would make her feel better. Only time would heal this wound.

“Will, I can’t go home yet. Please, can we drive somewhere quiet?”

“Yes.” Will pounded on the carriage roof to get the groomsman’s attention and the carriage came to a stop. He ordered the driver to take a trip through Hyde Park, and they were off again.

“You should sit over there,” Elizabeth said, pointing to the other seat. “It would look improper to be seen together like this.”

“Of course.” He moved back to his original seat across from her as she wiped her eyes.

“Will, I think I should leave the house.”

“What?” he barely contained his voice.

“I have been thinking,” she said, looking out the window as they drove into the park. “If this gets out, Ellie and Lucy will have no chance of a decent match. We will be scorned by the entire ton.”

“You have no place to go.”