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He struggled to sit up. “I can explain.” Then he looked around at everyone in the room and fell silent.
“Is it true, then?” Caroline asked. “You deliberately set out to ruin my brother?”
“That money was rightfully mine,” Mr. Taylor snarled, getting to his feet. “I did nothing wrong by winning it back.”
“But you were the one who came to tell us of the inheritance. Why did you bother?” Caroline couldn’t make sense of it.
“My mother knew about your branch of the family years ago. The older she gets, the more she talks about claiming the connection. I had to stop her multiple times from writing to you over the years. Ihad to wait until Jacob was past twenty-one, and legally able to give up his fortune on a turn of cards.”
“You are reprehensible,” Caroline snapped.
He glowered at her. “Sir Francis thought nothing of your father or what became of him after he moved here and started your woeful branch of the family. It should have stayed mine! All of it. The money. The estate. The funds for your dowries. I wanted to regain the estate and the fortune, and to grab as much of what was left as I could by marrying one of you. I deserve it.”
Betsy scowled at him. “You don’t mess with a Reeve,” she snapped. “We fight back.”
He sneered at her. “I still have the fortune. Your brother remains in possession of an empty shell of an estate with no funds to keep it running. Your dowries are a pittance compared to what I have won.”
“But you have lost your good name,” Caroline said. “And that to us is worth more than any hoard of gold ever could.”
“Tales of your exploits will soon circulate Inverley, then London,” Mr. Graham said. “We will make sure of that. Then how much will you enjoy your ill-begotten funds when no good society will welcome you?”
“Who will good society believe?” Mr. Taylor laughed. “The former baronet, who has behaved impeccably for years? Or this unknown branch of the family, with its ill manners and odd airs and vulgarity?”
The door swung open to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Martin, with James and Grace in tow. Grace peered into the room, her mouth dropping open at the sight of the crowd in Lady Edith’s bedchamber.
“What do we have here?” Mr. Martin boomed.
Grace hurried in and stood beside Lady Edith. “Are you all right? I heard noises, and couldn’t access your room through my own, so I thought it best to alert our hosts.”
“We are fine,” Lady Edith said, hugging her. “But Mr. Taylor is the worst villain to ever walk these halls! He tried to take advantage of Betsy.”
“What?” Mr. Martin staggered back. “In our house? This is unconscionable!”
Mr. Taylor slinked out of the room with his tail between his legs.
“We ought to stop him.” Mr. Graham made a move toward the door, but Betsy put up a hand.
“Where would he go?” she asked. “He got mostly what he wanted. He has Jacob’s money, so he wasn’t in need of a dowry—which means the other ladies here are safe. He just wanted my dowry because he resented the family.”
“It doesn’t matter. He ought to be held accountable.” He glowered at the door. “He should be held in contempt for what he did to you.”
“He did nothing,” Betsy said briskly. “I took care of myself and am no worse off than I was an hour ago.”
“He cannot show his face here again without facing condemnation,” said Mr. Martin. “We will make sure of that.”
“You brave girls!” Mrs. Martin commended Betsy and Lady Edith. “These young ladies have intrepid hearts.”
James looked at Caroline in a daze. “I daresay, I do not think I am up to the challenge of marrying into the Reeve family after all.”
Caroline grinned. “We are a handful—every last one of us.”
Arabella and Caroline exchanged looks. Caroline’s heart was full, knowing they had more to talk about, and feeling hopeful for what that conversation would bring.
* * *
It was late when Arabella and the Reeves arrived at the townhouse. Arabella sent Fred home with a message to Matthew and Rachel that she would stay the night with the Reeves. She knew that she and Caroline had much to discuss.
She hated confrontation. Tonight had been no different, but she hadfeltdifferent about it. It didn’t fill her with the heart-stopping dread that it always had before. She felt stronger. Something felt like it had shaken loose inside of her, and she knew she would never be ruled by that fear again.
