“Lord Watt?” Lord Stevenson’s voice was barely audible, hoarse and filled with shock. “You…you have been…you all have been listening?”
“Lord Harrogate worked for the King,” Lord Watt said firmly, his hand still resting lightly on Daisy’s shoulder. “We are determined to discover the truth. You must tell us what you did, Lord Stevenson. We must know it all.”
Lord Stevenson said nothing for a moment or two, his gaze roving over each and every gentleman’s face, as though trying to work out whether or not he could trust them.
Then he heaved another great sigh. “No, I did not speak to Lord Harrogate,” he said, his words tumbling over each other in their rush to escape. “I was too much of a coward for that. Instead, I wrote to him. I said I did not know why but that Lord Fitzherbert seemed quite determined to bring him harm. I do not know if he ever received my note. The next thing I heard, he had been killed and I was ordered to leave England for a time.”
“Lord Fitzherbert told you to leave.”
Lord Stevenson nodded, pressing his fingertips together as he looked at Lord Watt. “Indeed. I had no choice.”
“And he allowed you to come back thereafter?”
Again, Lord Stevenson nodded. “I had word that I could return. That was all. I did not think he would be here also, but it seems that he likes to torment those he has a hold over.”
“You wanted to protect me from him without revealing the truth of what you knew of him,” Daisy said softly, her words choked with tears. “Is that not so?”
Lord Stevenson looked at her steadily, his face clouded. “I did not know what else to do,” he answered honestly. “Lord Fitzherbert has such a cruelty in him that, most likely, he would have thought it very funny indeed to be wed to a lady whose own father he took from this earth.” He saw her shudder and closed his eyes. “He is not a man to be trifled with, Miss Williams.”
“I am aware of that,” she breathed, still leaning into Lord Watt’s arm as she battled against tears. “You appear to be a man of excellent character, Lord Stevenson.”
Lord Stevenson shook his head, clearly still struggling with what he had revealed. “I do not think I am a very good man at all, Miss Williams,” he whispered, shaking his head. “I did not manage to save your father’s life.”
“But you saved mine,” she answered, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. “Your note saved my life, my mother’s life, and the lives of our staff. My father sent us to my sister’s house but refused to come with us so that we might be kept safe. Had he not heard from you, then we might now all be lost to the grave.” She felt Lord Watt’s hand lift and encircle her shoulders so that she was now able to rest her head against his side. “I have nothing but gratitude for you, Lord Stevenson. And in revealing this to us, then I must hope that all of Lord Fitzherbert’s plans will be brought to an end and that he will face the consequences of what he has done.”
“You need have no doubt in that regard,” Lord Watt stated, both to Daisy and to Lord Stevenson. “With what you have told us now, Lord Stevenson, these gentlemen and I will make quite certain that Lord Fitzherbert faces what he has done and is given the full punishment thereafter.”
Lord Stevenson frowned. “But he is a titled gentleman,” he stammered, his eyes darting from one man to the next. “And a member of the ton.”
“He is working with our enemies,” Lord Watt said firmly. “He is nothing less than a traitor. His title and his wealth mean nothing. The Prince Regent himself has already said as much.”
Daisy saw Lord Stevenson’s eyes flare and then, in one swift moment, he seemed to crumple. His hand went to his eyes, covering them so that no one could see his reaction, his shoulders slumping as he seemed to fold even further into the chair. Her heart ached for him. It had evidently been a terrible burden for him to carry these last two years, and she could well understand what that must have been like.
“Come, Miss Williams.”
Lord Watt’s arm was gone from around her shoulders. Now, he stood with his hand outstretched, clearly waiting for her to rise to her feet.
“Let me take you back to your sister. The gentlemen here will need to speak to Lord Stevenson a little more so that we might then consider how we go about the next part of our plan.”
r /> She nodded, finding it hard to speak—even though she wanted to thank Lord Stevenson for everything he had done. “An evening of entertainment has been arranged,” she managed to say. “Lord Stevenson has not yet been invited, but there is a space for him.”
Lord Watt smiled grimly. “And Lord Fitzherbert has accepted?”
“At once,” she answered, slowly getting up and realizing just how wobbly her legs felt. “He will be in attendance.”
“Then so will I be,” Lord Stevenson said, his voice a little stronger as he looked up at them both. “If this is to be the end of the matter, if this is to be the conclusion, then I want to be present.”
Lord Watt nodded, taking Daisy’s hand and holding it tightly. “Then you shall be,” he said. “And we shall all see Lord Fitzherbert brought to justice. You have my word.”
Chapter Twelve
Matthew looked from one horrified face to the other, feeling himself wince inwardly at the shock he had brought about. “I am sorry,” he said again, seeing how Miss Williams smiled at him. “This has only been confirmed recently and, had it been proven that Lord Stevenson was the one involved, then tonight would be nothing more than an evening of conversation and enjoyment.”
“I—I cannot quite believe this,” Lady Northgate whispered, looking aghast at Miss Williams. “You have been trying to solve the mystery surrounding our father’s death, whilst pretending that you are eager to find yourself a husband?”
Miss Williams leaned a little forward in her chair, a small gentle smile on her face. “It was not out of cruelty that I kept it from you, Susanna. I did not want to tell you the truth for you would only worry about me constantly and try to discuss every detail to ensure that I was kept safe.” She looked towards Matthew, who felt his heart quicken at the look in her eyes. “Once I discovered that Lord Watt was involved, I knew that I would never be in danger, Susanna.” Another look towards her sister. “And now we are drawing near the conclusion.”
Lord Northgate harrumphed loudly, clearly torn between frustration that he had not known what was going on and relief that the person behind Lord Harrogate’s death would soon be brought to justice. “It has come as something of a surprise, I will admit,” he muttered, getting up out of his chair and going straight towards the decanter of brandy, pouring two small measures into two glasses. “But I can understand your desire to find the truth, Daisy.” So saying, he brought back the two glasses to his seat but rather than give one to Matthew or to Miss Williams, he handed it to his wife, who took a sip immediately. Matthew could not help but smile at the sight. Clearly Lady Northgate was well used to the occasional tipple but, if it helped her in her shock, then he was glad to see it.