The Betrayed Lady Winters Read online

  There was something in his tone that irritated Ivy; she felt she needed to say something. “It was not him,” she shot back gruffly. “I know for a fact that he did not harm my father. He would not.”

  “No, I do not think that he would either,” Royce shocked Ivy by answering calmly. “He does not seem like the sort of person who would do something like that. I spoke to him briefly, he is a wonderful boy.”

  Ivy felt chastened. She kept acting rashly towards Royce and he was continually calm in return. He did not seem like a nasty, devious person, but then Mary had already told her about all of his financial problems which she would not have suspected either. Duke Royce Merrick was certainly not who he appeared to be on the surface. He had deep, dark secrets that he was apparently very good at disguising.

  “Would you like to go for a walk around the gardens?” Ivy asked spontaneously. “It is a nice day.”

  She glanced towards Jonathon trying to check if this was acceptable to him. Thankfully, he did not seem to mind.

  “I think that I would like that very much, Lady Winters. I did not see the gardens before.”

  As Ivy and Royce walked around the family gardens with Jonathon not too far behind them, she was careful to keep the conversation very light hearted, so he would want to see her again, hopefully, this time at his own house. If he was not going to give her any clue as to what he saw on that night, then she needed to find some other clue. Maybe he would have something in his home that would help her work out what sort of man he was.

  It seemed that Ivy’s plan had worked out when it was time for Royce to go because he invited her to do just that. He invited her to come for a lunch time meal at his home the following week which she readily agreed to. She felt disappointed to not have her answer already, especially when it meant that her brother would have to spend even longer in that place, but at least she was working towards it. Ivy was one step closer to getting the answer that she needed to save her family.

  Once he was gone from her home, she felt a sense of relief. But before she could get too carried away, Ivy knew she needed to ask one more favour of Jonathon. She needed to ask him to accompany her to Duke Merrick’s home the following week. She could not go by herself; she needed him.

  Chapter 8

  The week had dragged on painfully for Ivy as she waited to see Duke Merrick again. She had written to, and been to visit, her brother the one time in his tiny little jail cell, and she had taken a trip to the hospital every single day, too. Nothing had changed for her father or her brother; they were both at a standstill, and so was Ivy until she made this next step. Because of that, she was more determined than ever to make today count. They could not carry on this way; there was no way that she could stand one more week of waiting. It would destroy her.

  “How do you feel about today?” Jonathon asked her as he took his place in the carriage. “Do you think this is the man that you would like to officially court?”

  “Oh… I do not know.” Ivy felt a little taken aback. She had not yet told Jonathon about her suspicions, and she did not think it a good idea to do so. Much as she trusted him, this might have pushed him too far. “I suppose I am working that out.”

  Ivy felt terrible for not being truthful with someone who had been nothing by kind-hearted to her. Jonathon assumed that he was helping her not only with her family but also with finding a husband, when really, she was manipulating him. Still, Ivy assumed that he would still help her if he knew what she was trying to do; she did not want to involve too many people in the danger.

  The carriage moved along the road, bumping over the cobblestone as it went, and Ivy used the time to gaze out of the window. To an outsider, she looked like she was admiring the view, looking at the houses, watching London going past, but Ivy’s eyes were blurry, and she was completely lost in her thoughts.

  I do not know what I am looking for, she thought to herself. But I absolutely need to find it.

  Maybe it would be some evidence of poison, something that showed he could harm someone else. That would be enough for her to at least start fighting the case that Ewan had done nothing wrong. Ivy knew that freeing Ewan was her first priority. Getting the true culprit into trouble could come afterward.

  By the time the carriage had travelled all the way to Royce’s home, she felt like she was ready. As long as she did not get distracted by anything, she knew that she would find whatever it was that she needed. The large, impressive townhouse that towered above Ivy contained answers, if there was anything to find.

  Jonathon took her arm and helped Ivy from the carriage and walked with her towards the front door. He took control and knocked on the large wooden frame, alerting the people inside to their presence. The door swung open quickly, almost as if someone was standing behind it waiting, not leaving any time for panic.

  “Good morning,” the tall butler greeted them.

  “Oh, good morning,” Jonathon jumped in quickly. “We have an appointment with Duke Merrick. My name is Mr. Jonathon Winters, and this is Lady Ivy Winters.”

  The butler bowed his head down. “If you would like to wait here,” he indicated towards the reception area just inside the door, “I shall alert Duke Merrick to your presence.”

  Ivy and Jonathon waited in a horrible silence that seemed to cling thickly to the air. It felt like forever for Royce to come, but as soon as he arrived, he smiled brightly at Ivy. For a second, she was reminded of the very first moment that she met him when she was impressed with his very handsome face. If she forgot about everything that had happened to this man, she could feel a slight churning sensation in the pit of her stomach. It was like butterflies were flapping inside of her.

  Do not get distracted, she reminded herself. Remember that he is arrogant and also dangerous.

  “Please, come in Mr. and Lady Winters,” Royce said, inviting the pair of them to follow him. “It is wonderful to see you both again as always.”

  They walked into the dining room where cups of tea were already sitting there waiting for them. Each took a seat, and sipped their drinks simultaneously. Ivy watched Royce over the top of her cup as she drank, trying to see what his mood was. He seemed to be very happy today, and she had a feeling it was because of her. He seemed to like her a lot. Maybe she would be flattered by that if Royce admiring her had not put her family in danger. It was potentially his feelings that had caused all of this.

  “How has your week been?” Royce asked Ivy kindly. “Have there been any improvements with your family?”

  “Everything is still very much the same,” Ivy replied tautly. “My father is still unconscious, and my brother is still locked away. They are both in the same condition as they were last week.”

  Royce’s face fell. He seemed to be genuinely upset by the news. Was this because he wanted her father to get better or because he wanted him to die? The idea that anyone could want her father to pass away really upset Ivy.

  “Oh, that is terrible news,” he said to Ivy softly. “I do hope that things get better soon.”

  Ivy glanced towards the kitchen, wondering if any poison would be stored in there, but she already knew that she did not have any chance of getting in there unseen. Not with the number of staff that Royce had working for him, there would always be people around. He would probably not keep it there anyway because it would be better for fewer people to know the truth about him. Maybe it would be kept in the bathroom instead, or his bedroom. If that was the case, then she really needed to get some time alone at some point.

  Royce moved his arm across the table and accidentally knocked a red leather-bound book to the ground.

  “Oh, my schedule,” he said with a chuckle. “I will go and put that somewhere safe. It has all of my important information in.” He raised his eyebrows knowingly. “I cannot lose this or I lose everything.”

  Ivy watched the book with wide eyes. Maybe that was what she needed, Royce’s journal. If it contained everything, then maybe it would have some evidence of what he
’d done. If she could not find anything else out, then she at least needed that. Who knew what it would contain? It was a long shot, but there was a chance.

  She could not take her eyes off of it as he took it across the room and into the hallway. He was not gone long, so Ivy knew that was where it had been left. She simply needed to get away for long enough to grab hold of it, and then she would have to leave quickly before he discovered that his book was missing. She knew it would not take long for him to spot it gone, but hopefully, by then, she would have what she needed. If she could get the evidence to the police quickly enough, then there would not be anything that he could do to her.

  “Ah, wonderful,” Royce declared with a flourish as maids filled the room. “Here is our lunch.”

  Ivy had to try and be patient as the staff at the Merrick household spread food across the table for the three of them to eat. The ravenous look in Jonathon’s eyes was enough to remind Ivy how hungry she was. She had not felt well enough to eat her breakfast when she had first got dressed this morning, and that had come back to punish her now. Underneath her tightly wound corset, her stomach grumbled desperately.

  “This all looks lovely,” she said quickly, scanning her eyes over the bread, cheese, and meat feast. “Thank you so much, Duke Merrick, it is very kind of you to invite me and my chaperone over here.”

  Royce gave Ivy a very loving smile. In his eyes, things were finally going his way and he could see Lady Winters warming up to him. The more time he spent with her, the more her icy exterior thawed. Eventually, he felt he would get to see the real her, the version of Ivy that she hid away from the rest of the world, and he could not wait. He liked her a lot, more than he thought he ever would.

  “You are both always welcome in my home,” he told them seriously. “Anytime.”

  “How is business?” Jonathon asked, excited to learn more about Duke Merrick, as it felt like it was his role to do so. “You work in shipping and trading, do you not?”

  Ivy took a few silent bites as the men talked. Her brain buzzed so loudly with the knowledge of what she had to do next, that she could barely hear what was being said. She had learned not to comment upon Royce’s business anyway from the last time that they had spoken, so she presumed her silence was welcomed.

  Eventually, with her heart pounding in her ears, Ivy scraped her chair back and rose from the table. It would not be seen as a positive way to behave, her leaving the table in the middle of a meal, but this might be the only chance she had,, and Ivy was far more aware that she could not afford to blow it.

  “Excuse me,” she muttered, almost under her breath. “I just need to use the facilities; I shall be back.”

  Neither of the men even looked her way; they were so engrossed in talking to one another, so Ivy slipped out of the room, and made her way to the hallway. There she spotted it, sitting on one of the tables in plain view. Ivy raced to it with a surge of hope bursting from her chest. She was never brought up this way; she did not even want to think about what her father might think of her for stealing. She simply had to do it.

  Her hands clutched around the book, and she flicked it open to a random page, just to check. To her surprise, Ivy found the page was filled with writing; it seemed to be much more of a diary than simply a way for Royce to keep ahead of his schedule. This only confirmed to Ivy that she was doing the right thing. It was very likely that she would find something in here. If it were the place where Royce wrote down everything that was important to him, then surely there would at least be some hint, if not the crime entirely laid out.

  She lifted up the skirts of her dress and tucked the book into the oversized stockings that she had worn purposefully. Now, all she needed to do was get through the rest of this meal and escape before Royce noticed it was missing. That would not be too hard… would it?

  Chapter 9

  August 25th 1831

  Many people assume that I have had my life handed to me on a plate, that I have been given everything that I have, and that I have not had to work hard for any of it. But they could not be more wrong. No one knows that I have not always lived in London, and that I had to move to the capital city because my father lost everything. He made some terrible investments and destroyed the wonderful life that he had created for himself.

  Those decisions ultimately killed my mother and my sister as we could not afford the medical treatment when they both came down with the plague. That was the moment when I knew I wanted to do better. I left our home and I came to the capital to make something better for myself and the family that I have left and that is what I have done. I did not have much when I arrived, but I have managed to turn it into a business and now I am a well respected man. I simply dislike it when people assume that I have had everything handed to me.

  November 3rd 1831

  Throughout my work I have started to realise something important. I would like to help people who do not have as much as I do. Some of what I have earned has been through hard work and some has been luck. That is luck which I would like to share. I help out my father and other siblings by sending them money whenever they need it, but there are other people in the same city in which I live that need assistance too. I want to help them.

  I have seen first hand how a few bad decisions and poor choices can be destructive to people’s lives and I would not like any other deaths to be because of that. I am not quite sure what I shall do, but I will do something.

  February 1st 1832

  I feel like I am making some wonderful progress with my work, I am very happy with what I have achieved. People are not always willing to accept my help at first, there are times when pride gets in the way, but I always manage to win out in the end. It is an incredible feeling. I would like to make others understand that. If more men in my position, with privilege and money, helped out the needy, then the world would be a better place.

  Maybe that is me being idealistic, perhaps I am viewing a world that will never exist, but it is nice to consider.

  February 16th 1832

  I have been invited to the coming out party of a local Lady. Her name is Lady Ivy Winters. I have been invited to previous events such as this one, I suppose my reputation makes me an eligible bachelor, but this is the first one that I have actually considered seriously. I suppose at my age of five and twenty years old, it is time to consider settling down with a woman and starting a family. I have always been so busy with my career that I have not had time to consider the other side of my life, but now it might be time. It might really be time for love.

  I do not know anything about this Lady Ivy Winters, maybe I will find out some things before I meet her, maybe not. Either way, I have a feeling that meeting her will change a lot for me. It will set me on the path to marriage.

  February 28th 1832

  Last night was the best and worst night of my entire life, I do not even know what to think about any of it. The moment I laid eyes on Lady Ivy Winters, I felt something shift in my chest. I was expecting meeting her to be monumental for me, but I did not know how much. I did not know that I would feel like I was tumbling, uncontrollably falling into very deep feelings. She is a beautiful woman, the most beautiful that I have ever seen in my life. I love her buttery coloured hair, her deep eyes, the confidence that flows from her. I was immediately captivated by her and all I wanted to do was know more about this lovely, mysterious woman.

  I am not sure that I made such a good impression myself. I believe that I went so overboard in trying to impress Lady Winters that I put her off me completely. She did not look too happy as she walked away from me.

  I wanted to find a way to make that right, I wanted to speak to Lady Winters again, but before I got the chance to do so, the wonderful Lord Winters collapsed and everything changed. I do not know what happened, but it was a very tragic thing. Medical professionals had to come and take him away, it was a real shame. I truly do hope that he is not too ill, because from the short conversation that I had with him, I liked him a
lot.

  I did get another chance to speak to Lady Winters afterwards, but she was understandably too upset to speak to me. She lashed out and took her temper out on me. Of course, I cannot blame her for that, I felt the same anger and frustration when my mother was ill. She did say some very strange things to me about me losing my fortune through gambling, which of course is not the case since I help gambling addicts myself, but again I can let it go because I know that she is hurting. I would do anything to take that agonising pain away from her. I do not know if I shall ever be given the chance to speak to her again, but I would love nothing more than to help her too.

  * * *

  Ivy felt tears bubbling behind her eyes as she read the shocking words in Duke Merrick’s journal. There were hundreds of entries within the pages, but she stopped only on the ones that seemed to speak to her, such as the ones which explained why he had been so prickly with her when she discussed his business, the ones that showed how much of a good man that he was, and of course the ones that talked about her.

  She slumped back onto her bed once she had finished reading the entry surrounding that night. Judging by the very private information written inside the pages, if he had done something, then it would be written in here, and it was not. He had not written anything to suggest that he would be guilty at all. If anything, Duke Royce Merrick was far too kind and lovely a man who would never do anything to hurt another man. He used his wealth to help the less fortunate when his family experienced their own issues, which made him a very impressive man.

  Ivy felt blown away. The fact that everything she thought about him was wrong shocked her. Even the idea that he was arrogant was not the truth. He had simply been trying to impress her because he liked her. He liked her a lot. Judging by the words that he had written about her, he thought very highly of her. The butterflies that she felt when she looked at Royce flapped violently in her stomach once more.