“Phillipa, please!” She spun at Payton’s pain-filled cry. Horror had slackened her sister’s face and twisted her hands together.
“Oh, Payton.” Tears spilled from Phillipa’s eyes.
“If you wed him, St. John will retract his offer.” Payton’s pained wail slammed into Phillipa as nothing else could have done.
“Payton, if he loves you, surely, he will—”
“He loves me. He has told me so many times.” Her voice broke and tears splashed down her face.
Phillipa hurried to her, clasping her trembling fingers. “Payton, I love Anthony. I cannot—”
“Has he declared his love for you? Has he?” Payton demanded.
Phillipa froze, hurt and uncertainty screaming at her insides. Her sister knew he had not. Phillipa had confessed her doubts to Payton the night before while they lay by the fire in her bedchamber, talking about the two men in their lives. They had both glowed with happiness and love.
Payton gripped her hand. “Are you willing to ruin my happiness and fight for a man who does not love you? And a man who says he will speak with Papa for your hand, but had more pressing issues to attend first?”
Phillipa stepped back, shocked at her vehemence. She forgave her instantly, knowing the fear Payton felt. But her words still created a niggle of doubt.
He had not whispered words of love. Not once.
“Come here,” she whispered, drawing Payton into her arms, hugging her tightly. “All will be well. I’m sure of it.”
Phillipa met Lord Hoyt’s gaze over Payton’s head and gave him an even look. The hopeful pleasure that suffused his face sickened her. She had not accepted his offer, but she had not refused, either. He already felt he had won. She knew she must act out this charade until she could speak with Anthony. But dread filled her whole body, for she did not know if she could marry him if the rumors were true. The scandal would destroy the connections her father hoped to make.
And with a certainty she could no longer shrug off, she knew they could not be mere rumors. The man she loved was a bastard.
Oh, God, what was she to do?
…
The hum of the gentleman’s club seemed muted. Anthony sipped his port and read the report on Orwell with a cold distance. The blackguard was financially powerful, enjoying profitable returns from his many investments.
Hawke’s report was extensive, but despite that, he’d failed him. Orwell had retired to his country home in Suffolk and disappeared from the watchful eyes of the men Hawke had placed on him. Anthony found it curious that he had vanished without causing any ripples. Thankfully, he had not been sighted near Phillipa.
Anthony came to an entry in the report, and frowned. Orwell had visited his attorney the day before he disappeared. And they shared the same attorney. A chair scraped and his head snapped up to meet Calvert’s worried gaze.
Anthony was surprised to see Sebastian was also with him. Anthony leaned back in his chair as they sat, foreboding flooding over him at the look of savage fury on their faces. “What has happened?” he demanded.
“Newport has disappeared. His office was ransacked and all his correspondence missing. I traveled posthaste to let you know,” Sebastian said flatly.
Anthony clutched the report in his hand. Damnation. There was little doubt what all this meant. “Is Constance safe?”
“She is with our mother. We must go to her immediately.”
He nodded in agreement. Constance needed him. A cold, calm logic filled his mind, and he sifted through his options. He slashed his attention to Calvert. “What bad news do you bring me?”
Anthony saw the sympathy in his friend’s eyes and braced himself, though he knew what was coming.
“My father and several others were meeting to discuss withdrawing from ventures that you are heavily invested in.”
“Which ones?” he demanded.
“The railways and the steam engines.”
He calculated the loss, and the shares he had in them. Substantial, but he should survive.
“The reason?” he demanded evenly, needing confirmation of the worst.
“Lord Hubert and the Marquis of Gale report that you are not a legitimate heir to the Calydon holdings. They have refused to continue any business transactions with you. I tried to inform them that to withdraw from you is to withdraw from Calydon completely. They did not seem to agree,” Calvert said, anger threading his voice, as well.
Anthony met Sebastian’s gaze. They believed his own brother would turn from him, in fear of tainting the Calydon title. A thing he knew would happen when hell froze over.
Anthony saw the speculation in his friend’s gaze, but also the respect of his privacy. “Thank you, my friend, for hastening to inform me. I will not soon forget your support. Now, I must speak with Sebastian and then find Phillipa. I must not delay.”