"What if they refuse to give their consent?"
"I doubt they will, once all the facts are laid before them."
"They might argue you are simply a fortune-hunter who has taken advantage of her," Malcolm warned.
"I don't think so. I'm certain my character will bear up to the closest scrutiny, don't you?"
Malcolm nodded. "It will indeed. No one who knows you well could possibly speak ill of you. Gerald may sling all the mud he likes, but it won't stick."
Claire came into the room just then to ask if there was anything else that needed to be done.
Malcolm told her of their errand, and helped her on with her things, and then his own.
"Thank you both for your help."
"Don't mention it." Malcolm shook his hand, and they left without any further delay.
Clifford forced himself to eat, though inwardly he was still seething over his belief as to how close Gerald had come to killing his own half-sister. He vowed he would never let his guard down again where Vanessa was concerned. The thought of anything happening to her was like a dagger through his heart.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Clifford sat on the edge of his chair in the snug, masculline dining room, alert for any sound of Vanessa being disturbed by nightmares. He leaned both elbows on the table wearily while he made a list of everything he would have to do before his wedding. When he had finished, and all was still quiet, he went to see the doctor in his study.
"I want to know, John, will there be any lasting effects from the poison?" he blurted out as soon as he walked into the room.
Dr. Gold looked up from his paper and motioned his guest to a chair by the fire. "It is hard to say without knowing for certain how much she ingested, or how long it was in her system before she voided it herself. If it was poison. I have to say I'm still not convinced it was poison, son. But I'm confident that she's young and strong, and has made excellent progress today. With rest and proper nourishment, and no more distressing events in her life, I'm confident that she will recover fully in time."
Clifford sighed with relief, and sat down at last. "I just feel so responsible, John. Guilty, even. I'm convinced he never would have attempted to kill her had it not been for me winning her at cards."
"Even assuming it was poison, why on earth would you think that?"
"Because I'm the one man Gerald knows he cannot manipulate or intimidate, Clifford said, leaning forward in the low armchair. He must have been dazzled by all the wealth she inherited. And is desperate to alleviate his own financial plight. He must have been willing to risk killing her as his last chance to get his hands on her fortune. With things all in a state of flux now that her Aunt Agatha is dead, he must have seen an opportunity to claim it for his own."
Dr. Gold shook his head. "You can't blame yourself for Gerald Hawkesworth's irrational behavior. He would make up any excuse to get her money. So would her two cousins. It really has very little to do with you. If indeed it was poison, it would have been more to do with him regretting having acted impulsively without thinking through how best to use her fortune to his own advantage. He was cornered at the card game, and did the only thing he could think of to avoid bankruptcy and certain social ruin."
Clifford nodded. "Perhaps you're right. Vanessa did say that she'd warned him that she was to be the new title owner of the house, and was only going to give him a set allowance. And only upon the condition that he behave responsibly from now on. Her scrutinizing his every expense? Examining all of his affairs with her sharp, penetrating mind? That must have pushed him over the edge."
"We still have no proof," John reminded him in a mild tone. "As Henry said, Peter and Toby were there as well. All of them practically grew up together at Hawkesworth House, remember? Aunt Stephens went through a delicate phase, as it were, after Mr. Hawkesworth remarried. Vanessa's mother ended up with three boys to look after. Vanessa and Paul coming along made five."
"Yes, Mrs. Stephens' miscarriages were the talk of the neighborhood. The poor woman tried for years for a daughter, and ended up with Paul. I can remember my own dear Mama sympathizing, for she was in a similar position herself. She risked all for a little girl, and died in the attempt," Clifford said morosely.
Dr. Gold rose from his desk to draw closer to Clifford's chair. "I'm sorry, my dear fellow."
"Which is why it enrages me that Gerald or indeed either cousin could wish to harm a defenseless young woman simply for the sake of money," he said, raising his voice in a most uncharacteristic manner.