A Woman’s Innocence Read online

  “My mistake was born out of anger and loneliness,” she said softly. “You did things out of hatred and indifference. What kind of a man are you to sentence thousands to their deaths, and then blame me?”

  “They weren’t supposed to die!” he cried. “I never thought the information could be used that way!” He clutched at his hair frantically. “When I heard—when I realized—it was too late. I was sick about what had happened.”

  “But not sick enough to admit what you’d done,” she said.

  “I had the estate to protect! Where would you live if I lost it?”

  “Me?” she cried, raising her arm so the shaking pistol was aimed at his face. “You were thinking of yourself, not me! You were thinking of yourself when you killed all those people to keep your secret. And then you made me look guilty!”

  “They weren’t good men, the ones who died!” he protested. “They knew too much.”

  “What about Mrs. Hume? Did that frail old woman somehow threaten your plans? Wasn’t she just a way to get me to travel north to her son?”

  His whole face seemed to spasm as his mouth worked silently. “I didn’t know—I didn’t mean—she was going to die soon anyway!”

  “You bastard!” She took a step toward him, holding the shaking pistol in both hands.

  “Julia.” Sam said her name quietly, calmly.

  Lewis didn’t say anything, only lifted his chin and closed his eyes.

  “I won’t kill you, Lewis,” she said, “though you obviously want me to put you out of your misery. Too much a coward, even at the end, aren’t you?”

  He covered his face with his hands. “Don’t you understand?” he mumbled. “I never thought the government would execute a woman. Doesn’t it matter that I’ve only used the money on the estate? I never gambled or spent any on whores. I haven’t slept, I can barely eat—”

  “Shut up!” she said fiercely. “We could have solved our financial problems another way. Selling the London town house would probably have taken care of everything. But it was your selfish pride you sold yourself for. Sam, can you please gag him so I don’t have to hear another word?”

  By the time Sam had him gagged, and his hands tied behind his back, Julia’s whole body was trembling uncontrollably. She felt disgusted and sick at what Lewis had done in the family name. She started to put both pistols in her pockets to be sure she didn’t accidentally set them off, when Sam stopped her.

  “Keep your pistol on him for a moment. I need to close the compartment in the base of the statue. Although I think I can open it now that I saw how it was done, I’m going to try to keep it unlocked for now.”

  She nodded, her gaze on her brother. Lewis swayed as he sat, his head drooping, his whole frame showing dejection.

  When she glanced at Sam as he pushed aside rose vines to approach her, he was watching her worriedly.

  She waved away his concern. “What are we going to do next?” she asked.

  “We have to keep Lewis hidden until we hear from Colonel Whittington. He’ll know the best way to handle this.”

  “So where are we going to put him? I suggest in a privy somewhere.”

  Sam smiled. “We can’t risk holding him in the house. I don’t know how long it will take the colonel to get here. That old gardening shed where we spent our first night will do.”

  She nodded and fell into line behind him as he grasped Lewis’s arm, lifted him to his feet, and tugged him along the path.

  In the shed, Sam set the lantern on the bench, and she saw that he’d already prepared the little building to house her brother. There were now several sturdy chairs, and all of the debris had been swept aside.

  She watched him tie Lewis into a chair, exhausted to her bones in a way that made her feel a hundred years old. Yet Sam moved with a calm efficiency that set her wondering. Had she done him a disservice by letting their assailant go? Perhaps Sam could have proven to himself that he had changed. Instead, she’d taken away his every choice—as if she didn’t trust him. Was that how a woman in love was supposed to behave?

  She was tired of questioning her every motive, her every thought and word. She so desperately wanted this over, so she could sleep in peace.

  “Sam, would you mind if I leave? I’m not sure I can look at him anymore tonight. I promise I’ll take a shift guarding him first thing in the morning.”

  Sam glanced at her and arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to leave me alone with him?”

  His words pained her to the depth of her soul. How she had hurt him, when he’d given up his very life to help her.

  “I trust you,” she whispered, hoping he could see in her eyes how sorry she was for everything.

  Sam felt the tightness in his chest ease, and he smiled at Julia. “Get some rest. We’ll be fine.”

  After she’d gone, he stared at the door for a moment. She finally knew everything about him, and yet she still trusted him to keep her safe, to prove her innocence. Maybe he wasn’t the same man anymore. Could that man who’d found satisfaction in the duties of a soldier now find something else to live for?

  Chapter 25

  Colonel Whittington arrived the next afternoon, distracting the staff from gossiping about where Lewis Reed had disappeared to. The colonel entered the house on crutches with a brisk speed that belied his age. Sam had told Julia that he’d lost his lower right leg to an infected wound in India. Sam had also promised she’d be able to trust the colonel to help them. Yet she still couldn’t dismiss her fears of discovery. What if the old man refused to believe them? What if he’d summoned the police?

  She stood beside Sam in the entrance hall, watching several of the colonel’s retainers hover about him making sure he was all right.

  The old man’s white mustache twitched with outrage as he waved them all away. “Go on, go on, see to the luggage.”

  Harold the footman followed the servants outside.

  Colonel Whittington smiled as Frances stepped forward to introduce herself.

  Then she gestured to Sam and Julia. “And these gentlemen, Colonel, are Constable Seabrook and Constable Fitzjames.”

  Bless her heart, Frances was protecting them to the end. Julia tried to smile at her, but her lips didn’t want to behave. She was beginning to worry she’d lose her lunch, all in fear over an old man.

  Colonel Whittington looked them both over carefully. Julia retained her manly bearing as Sam limped forward and held out a hand.

  “Colonel Whittington, it’s good to meet ye, sir.”

  “Likewise, Constable,” he said dryly, as though he knew they had to keep up appearances. “Now, I do believe I cannot wait to begin our discussion.”

  Sam smiled. “Sir, a walk in the garden will help answer all your questions.”

  The colonel only nodded and followed Sam. Julia barely kept herself from looking out the front door to make certain the police weren’t waiting. She was so close to freedom that the thought of losing it at this late date was frightening. She reminded herself that even if she was vindicated, she would have nowhere to live, no money to support herself—but she would be free, and she trusted herself to survive.

  Yet she couldn’t help being afraid as two soldiers who were waiting at the door fell into line behind them. Surely they were only safeguarding the colonel.

  Sam led Colonel Whittington straight to the shed, and the soldiers stationed themselves outside. Lewis was right where Julia had left him less than an hour ago. She had spent the morning in the shed with him, organizing her notes for the colonel, ignoring her brother’s occasional stirrings and sighs. The gag had been a blessing.

  Now Sam left the shed door open, so the sun could illuminate Lewis’s bedraggled form. Colonel Whittington halted on his crutches, then slowly sat down on a chair, never taking his gaze off the prisoner.

  The colonel’s smile had disappeared behind his terrible frown of disapproval. “Sam, please ungag the man so that I may speak with him.”

  As soon as Lewis’s
mouth was free, he began to protest his innocence, as if his confinement had made him realize the consequences of what he’d admitted to last night.

  “Do shut up,” the colonel interrupted coldly. “Sam has written to me about everything you’ve done. I know there are witnesses to put you at the scene of an old woman’s murder, and I know why you did such a terrible thing. There are other men who worked for you, plenty who died for you, others who will testify about these deaths. I know about your access to the methods used to betray British soldiers to the Russians, and your deliberate betrayal of your sister to save yourself. But mostly there is your sudden windfall of money and the lengths you went to in order to hide it. Is that everything, Sam?”

  Julia practically danced on her toes in nervousness as she listened to the recitation of Lewis’s sins. Oh God, the colonel actually believed her and Sam. Would she finally be free?

  “It’s not quite all our proof, Colonel,” Sam said, “but it’s enough for now.”

  Lewis opened his mouth, and the colonel thundered, “Silence!” After a pause, the colonel resumed speaking in a normal tone. “I do believe, though, that we are facing a dilemma.”

  She put her hand on the tool bench to keep from sagging to her knees. Had she been foolish to believe that justice would win out in the end? Maybe the colonel could at least free Sam, and he wouldn’t have to be dragged down with her.

  “What dilemma, sir?” Sam asked.

  “The Crown cannot allow itself to be embarrassed by making the news public that a British general betrayed his country.”

  Lewis sat up straighter, even as Julia covered her face with her hands.

  “But we also cannot allow Miss Reed to suffer for crimes she did not commit. General Reed will be exiled from England. Miss Reed, for the sake of your family’s—and the Crown’s—reputation, we will have it known that the general is on an extended journey in the government’s service.”

  “But if we’re not able to establish his guilt,” Sam said, “then who—”

  “You’re so impatient, Mr. Sherryngton,” the colonel interrupted. “I don’t remember that being one of your failings.”

  Julia knew that Sam was only worried for her. She watched her brother, expecting him to appear elated with his good fortune when so many others had suffered terribly. But what he had not been offered was money to allow him to live a comfortable existence, the reason he had committed treason. Nor had the colonel offered protection from the enemies Lewis had made. Her brother appeared dazed.

  Colonel Whittington absently rubbed his maimed leg. “As for the treason itself, we will blame it on a man who was involved in the crime, but who is now dead: Edwin Hume.”

  Julia thought of Edwin, her governess’s son, who’d taken money to cover Lewis’s crimes and become a drunkard in the process. In the end, Lewis had had him killed and tried to make Sam look guilty. She should feel relieved that she would be cleared, but she was just so sad for all the people who’d died.

  “Colonel,” she said, “what about Sam’s part in this?”

  “He’s an innocent man, Miss Reed. He was trying to protect you from your brother’s manipulations. He will be exonerated as well. You both will be free to return to your lives.”

  She stared at Sam with wide eyes. He would be free to leave her and rejoin the military. Would he take her with him? She had nothing else, nowhere to go. But could she bear knowing he helped her only out of pity once more?

  “Sergeant Hammersmith,” the colonel called in a louder voice, “do come see the prisoner to my carriage. We’ll be escorting him all the way to the coast. Untie him, as we don’t want his servants to talk.”

  Julia tried not to listen as Lewis pathetically thanked the colonel for his life. She didn’t watch as the two soldiers led him outside, knowing she would never have to see or think about him again.

  “Shall I get the hidden money for you, sir?” Sam asked.

  The colonel sighed with distaste. “There is that blood money to deal with. I’ll send the sergeant back to retrieve it with you.”

  Julia spoke up. “I imagine you could use the money to help all the families who lost someone in the massacre at the Khyber Pass. Maybe those sixteen thousand souls would rest easier.”

  Sam smiled at her as the colonel nodded.

  “A good idea, Miss Reed. You do have a sensible head on your shoulders. And it seems you were able to carry off a difficult disguise at a time when many other women would have fallen apart.”

  “It was all thanks to Sam, sir.”

  Sam looked uncomfortable at the praise. “Colonel, what about Hopewell Manor?”

  She smiled and looked away. She appreciated Sam’s thoughtfulness, but she was done waiting for events to carry her along. She would make her own future, and God help her, she would tell Sam she loved him, and hope for the best.

  The colonel laughed. “Seems I’m getting forgetful in my old age. Of course the estate will need an owner. After all you’ve suffered because of the Crown, Miss Reed, we can only give you small recompense by offering you Hopewell Manor.”

  Hardly breathing, she put a hand to her chest and stared at the old man. “This—this manor is to be my…home? Are you certain you don’t mean until Lewis’s heir is established?”

  “If there is an heir, he will eventually be compensated should General Reed die,” the colonel said mildly. “Do you accept our offer, Miss Reed? The Crown will make certain that all in the land know that you’re innocent.”

  She wiped tears from her eyes. “Yes, Colonel, I gladly accept, and you have my thanks.”

  “I only wish that we could promise that Lewis Reed will suffer for what he’s done.”

  “You took everything away from him, sir,” she said. “He’ll suffer.”

  “And perhaps his enemies will save us the trouble of having to keep watch on him,” the colonel added.

  Julia didn’t know how to respond to that, and didn’t want to waste another thought on her brother. She could only look at Sam now, feeling hope straining at her chest. She had a place to belong, but without Sam, it was a hollow victory. He stared back at her, but she couldn’t read his expression.

  The colonel cleared his throat. “Hmm, seems I’m no longer needed here.” He looked from Sam to Julia with a twinkle in his eye. “I imagine you two have much to discuss.”

  Sam smiled. “Thank you, sir. I knew I could count on you.”

  “Should have counted on me from the beginning,” he grumbled, shaking his head.

  Julia kissed his cheek. “You have my everlasting gratitude, Colonel. I do hope that someday you will do me the honor of allowing me to call upon you and pay my respects.”

  “Why, of course, Miss Reed. My daughters are about your age.”

  “I have recently met them, sir, and they are fine women who must make you proud.”

  If he knew that his daughters had aided Nick, Sam, and Will in putting her in jail, he did not say. He only smiled at them both and left the shed.

  Looking back over his shoulder, the colonel called, “Take your time, Mr. Sherryngton. Sergeant Hammersmith can wait for you to lead him to the money.”

  “I won’t be long, sir.”

  Sam stood in the doorway and watched Colonel Whittington leave. Julia stepped beside him, letting their shoulders brush. They silently looked out on the garden in all its lush beauty. The seasons had changed while they’d been preoccupied with proving their innocence. The occasional dry leaf blew by them on a brisk breeze that hinted at colder nights ahead. But right now the sun could only shine on them.

  Nearby, the manor—her manor—waited. She would never have to leave. She could sell the London town house, and use that investment to make the estate flourish. Every dream she’d ever had was finally coming true—except one.

  As she gathered her thoughts about how to approach Sam, he took her hand.

  She turned and looked up at him, at the sun on his bearded face. She wanted him to shave, so that she could see the Sam
she remembered—and the incredible man he’d become.

  “You could use a gardener,” he said softly.

  The hope she’d suppressed now burst open within her, spreading her wide smile, finally freeing her at last. She took both of his hands in hers and faced him. “I already have a gardener. But I could use a husband.”

  He closed his eyes and pulled her against him. She held him close, then looked up into his beloved face.

  “I love you, Julia, I’ve always loved you. I spent my life thinking I could never have you, thinking society kept us apart, when all along it was me and my own doubts. But you know everything now, and yet still you trust me.”

  She touched his lips, wanting to shush his words, but he only kissed her fingers, then held them against his chest.

  “Would you trust an old soldier to try retirement?” he said. “I never had a plan for what I would do when I left the army. I guess I thought death would take me first.”

  “Sam, don’t say such a thing!”

  “I never considered the future except for seeing you free. Do you think you can put up with me as I try to discover myself as a civilian?”

  “Oh, Sam, I love you so!” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

  He pulled her inside the shed and shut the door. Against her mouth, he whispered, “We can’t have the servants seeing their new mistress like this for the first time.”

  She kissed him over and over again. “Their new mistress and master.”

  “Good God, what will my family say to that!” He shook his head ruefully.

  “They’ll be as proud of you as I am.”

  Then she kissed him, telling him without words that he’d been in her heart for a lifetime.

  The two “constables” left Hopewell Manor, their work finally over. A week later, when the news of her innocence had been in every newspaper, Julia and Sam returned home. He’d shaved his beard. She’d bleached her hair, managing to put it up with pins and disguise its length with flowers. To wear a corset and dress again should have felt restrictive, but the appreciation and desire in Sam’s eyes made her feel so very feminine and beautiful.