“I think we can all guess who might have paid off Sprot. Somehow, in some way, my brother must have convinced him to do it,” Silverton said. He did not want to dwell on what means Charles would have used to convince the old doctor. He looked across at Fischer. “Sprot has the care of my mother. I need to get to Kent at once. Go and get ready for our journey.”
Fischer slipped from the room with a nod, understanding the urgency.
“Michael—”
“I take it I am back scourging around docksides, looking for Charlie boy?” Trawler asked.
“Please. The latest rumour of his going to Bilbao may not be true. I feel it likely he has left London, but it is better to be sure,” Silverton said. Trawler gave a jaunty salute to him and a bow to Maeve before exiting the office.
Silverton needed to talk to his wife. The question was, where to start? And God knows where he would finish. The shock of his survival was still vibrating through him.
If he wasn’t dying, they were stuck in a marriage that neither of them could escape. It was a real marriage, but she had not agreed to all of it. It seemed she was stuck with him, and his bilious and cankerous moods that most women would rightly run a mile from. But Maeve was watching him expectantly, with a patient, concerned smile on her pretty face. There was such solace in her expression.
Unable to think of how to phrase all these things into words, he walked forward, moving around the table, to fold Maeve into his arms.
Maeve’s hands came up to his shoulders to keep him at a distance, and her fingers gripped into his muscles. Her voice was throaty as she whispered, “I want to know everything from now on.”
It twisted through him, but Silverton nodded. “As soon as I return from Kent with my mother, you can ask me anything. I will make amends.”
“I want to come with you,” she said.
Pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, Silverton let out a heady sigh. He was alive. He was going to continue to live, and live well, better than he had previously. Now he had all the time in the world to make it up to this bright, bold woman. Leaning back, he captured her hands in his, kissing her fingertips. “I am going to make amends for all the wrongs I have done you. But I need to do this first, and it will be far easier to bring my mother to safety without you there. Do you understand?”
“So, we are to part again?”
“Only for the next few days, and then we will come to a proper resolution.” Silverton stepped back and bowed to her before and walking to the door. Once there, he turned. “Our marriage occurred because I acted irrationally, but I will not allow you to suffer for my mistakes. When I return, you need have no fear that you will be taken care of.”
With that, Silverton left the room, leaving Maeve behind. He had not said everything he should have, but it was not the right time. He had gotten so much wrong with her previously that getting it right in their future mattered enormously. As soon as he was free of the burden of his brother, and the concern for his mother, he would begin to court his wife properly, to win her heart as she had won his.
CHAPTER14
“Wait.” Maeve rushed after her husband down the corridor. Now was not the time for Silverton to be disappearing once again, having been absent for so long. Maeve followed him, catching her husband as he stood in the corridor, grabbing hold of his hand and keeping him close to her.
“I would be happy to accompany you to Kent. It would give us time to visit my father and explain to him what has occurred between us.”
“What has occurred was a lie, we are wed under false pretences, and my brother poses just as much threat as ever. He is a danger to you.”
“That has always been the case,” Maeve pointed out. “It is strange you only consider it now.”
“It is the thing that has kept me awake at night, knowing what I have done to enfold you into this mess.” Silverton’s face hardened as he spoke, and he looked almost animalistic. He heaved a sigh and adopted a calmer facade. “It would be far better if you stay in Town where the Set can keep an eye on you. I will station Runners by the house, so you will have the protection you need. The Season will be starting in the next month, and there are a great many fine things to do and for you to enjoy in Town, rather than fretting over a befuddled old lady. I am sure there are several plays and musicales all worth the viewing in the next few weeks. Lady Verne might be preoccupied with her new infant, but Verne’s sister, Lady Briers, I am sure would be a lovely companion, along with her young daughters. Or there is Lynde’s bride, Lady Isabel. Or Heatherbroke’s wife. Their addresses will be in my study at home.”
“Surely it is not wise for me to be going around posing as Lady Silverton, if your brother is such a threat?”
“Would you rather hide away and seek an annulment?”
Unable to think of a suitable response, Maeve pressed on with the more important issue. “Do you only say this because you believe Charles is gone from town? Would it be safe for me to take up residence as your wife?”
“It is my fault. So, I will fix this.” Leaning forward as he spoke, Silverton closed his eyes as if he was recalling it all in vivid detail. Edging nearer, Maeve reached up and placed her hands on his broad back, and slowly, almost reluctantly, she felt the muscles beneath her fingers relax as Silverton continued, “He was using my family’s money for the most nefarious means. The exploitation and abuse of young women… housing them and then sending them out into powerful households to steal valuable information. It took me too long to realise it. I was blinded.” With increasing pressure on Silverton’s back, Maeve tried to get him to turn towards her, but he wouldn’t budge. “I saw what happened to those women, what he did to them. I found out his scheme and what was happening. When I took all of it to the Home Office, I was recruited, and the abuse, the treason stopped.” His voice trailed away.
“Butyoustopped it.”
“I am not sure that will ever be enough.” He swallowed as he turned to face her. His expression was wrought with guilt that Maeve had not seen before. “I used Charles’s fake name, as I wanted to confront him myself. He was the other half of me, my brother, my twin, and it was up to me to fix it. It was my mistake. He was my responsibility to deal with. But I underestimated him. My arrogance meant he escaped, and my loyalty to my mother means he has never been publicly punished.”
“A person must be responsible for their own actions. He is a grown man. Have you not tried everything feasible thing to stop him?”
“I have. Except finally revealing his true crimes.” There was a note of decision to his voice, and when Maeve raised an eyebrow Silverton nodded.
“That is why you’re going home?”
