Lord Wiltsham shot her a glance under a slightly lifted eyebrow.
“You truly believe such a thing? I have just told you that we have no fortune, no prosperity, and no comfort for the future.”
“But yet I see that I am safe from a life where I would have been ignored, torn down, rejected and no doubt injured by Lord Bullfield. Instead, I am to marry a gentleman who has a kind heart, who is respectful and considerate and who offers me more than Lord Bullfield ever could.” The softening of his eyes made her smile. “Have no doubt, Lord Wiltsham, I am all too grateful for the great happiness that will be mine in being your wife. Whether or not we have any significant fortune, I will always be glad that I can count you as my husband, remembering what it is that I have been kept from.” Speaking with great sincerity, she smiled up into his eyes. “The future you offer me is far better than the one I would have had with Lord Bullfield, or from my brother’s hand. I am not only glad that you have been able to share this with me, but I am also relieved, for now we can step into the future together, knowing precisely what it is that is before us, and going into it together. There will be no fear or doubt, but only a determination that we shall cling together, regardless of the circumstances.”
Lord Wiltsham smiled, but it was only brief, and gone at the very next moment.
“And yet, there is more still.”
“Tell me.”
His lips worked and he shook his head.
“I am afraid of what it will do to you, Miss Carshaw. I care for you and would not see you injured.”
A knot formed in her chest, her chin lifting as she looked into his eyes.
“You have heard all that I have spoken to you, have you not? I want to know all, so that we might go into our future as one. Pray, do not keep anything from me. I promise you, I am prepared.”
Lord Wiltsham looked back at her, then turned his head away as they meandered slowly through the gate into Hyde Park.
“What if I was to tell you that your brother is one of the gentlemen whom I am presently considering to most likely have been involved in this wicked scheme.”
Julia came to an immediate stop, her legs refusing to continue moving. When she turned to face him, Lord Wiltsham was nodding slowly, as if in confirmation of what she presently feared.
“How… it cannot be!”
Her breathless voice did not seem to belong to her, a cold hand grasping around her heart as she struggled to breathe.
“Again, I have shocked you, but you are right, I could not have kept this from you. That is why I responded in the way I did last evening, when you told me your brother’s title. It came as a genuine shock to me, for he is one of the gentlemen that I have been considering as responsible for the loss of my fortune.”
“I still do not understand.”
Julia blinked rapidly, wondering if everything else would fade away if she continued to simply stare up at Lord Wiltsham. Perhaps he would shake his head, telling her that he was sure he was mistaken but instead, he simply held her gaze and smiled sadly.
“You may turn away from me if you wish, my dear. I would not hold it against you, but I must tell you the truth. Lord Foster has given me a list of men who were close to Lord Montague, the man who stole his fortune from him, and who we believe was at the heart of it all. He is gone to the continent now, so there is nothing further we can learn from him.”
“But…” Closing her eyes, Julia swallowed hard. “This list…it contains my brother’s name?”
“It does. There were only six names present. One only returned to England a few days ago, so would not have been able to have been involved. Another is at home mourning the loss of his wife.”
“Then there are three others, are there not?” Rasping, her hand clung to his arm. “It does not mean that my brother –”
“No, indeed it doesnotmean that your brother is responsible. Not as yet. But I have been considering the matter and I have wondered if there was any reason for him to be so eager to push me away from you. Might I ask you what happened the day that I came to call? Why did you not return? Was that the point when he told you that you were to wed Lord Bullfield?”
Julia’s throat constricted and she dashed one hand over her eyes.
“Yes, that was the very moment he did so.” The truth burned in her throat, but she did not stop herself from speaking it. “Yes, that is exactly what happened.”
“When he came into the drawing room and saw me present, mayhap it was then that he realized I had an interest in courting you - and then he made certain that it could not be so.”
“Perhaps.” Struggling to find another explanation, Julia squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “But perhaps it is that he only wanted Lord Bullfield to wed me for his own purposes, rather than simply pulling me away from you.”
Lord Wiltsham nodded, as she opened her eyes to look up at him.
“Yes, it may be so. I will not pretend that such a thing is not a possibility. As I have said, I have no proof, as yet, that your brother is in any way involved in the scheme, save for the list that Lord Foster had has given me.”
Julia turned her head away, battling against the tears in her eyes.
