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Thornwood nodded, saying nothing, his countenance relaxed but his eyes alert. Nicholas knew he was taking everything in, missing nothing, no nuance too small for his sharp mind. The man should have gone to the bar. He would make a fine barrister.
Nicholas strode to the table near the desk. He stared at the rich mahogany paneling and the handsomely crafted bookshelves on either side of this second fireplace. He felt like a fraud. He had helped design this room for his father, for Daniel. Nicholas had never been meant to stand in it as the future Earl of Woodfield.
He reached for the decanter, his hand shaking slightly as he pulled the crystal stopper and laid it aside.Damn Daniel for his choices!Splashing an ample amount of the amber liquid into each glass, he took a deep breath. Steady. Thornwood will understand. Blast and damn, he will not! How can he, when I do not understand it myself? Any of it!
“Nicholas?” Catherine’s voice pulled him back into the room.
He shook his head, trying to shake the frustrated melancholy. What was done was done. What would come of it was what Thornwood may help him to resolve.
He strolled to the duo, handed Thornwood a glass, and took his place beside Catherine on the stiff settee. He swirled the contents, hesitant to begin.
“To friends,” Thornwood began, “the people whom you choose to share your life with.” He raised his glass.
“To friendship,” Nicholas echoed, hoping this one proved strong and true. “It’s about Daniel.”
Thornwood’s left eyebrow raised, but he said nothing. Instead, he waited patiently for Nicholas to continue.
“His death was no accident.”
Thornwood leaned forward in his chair, a scowl darkening his calm demeanor. “You suspect foul play?”
Nicholas shook his head. “If only. That would be easier to deal with.” He looked down at the floor.” Suicide,” he said quietly. He felt sick hearing the word aloud.
“Dear Lord, Sinclair, I had no idea!” Thornwood sat back in his chair, “I do apologize—Lord Walford now. I am just so, so…”
“Shocked?” Nicholas provided. “As were we.”
“Your brother was always so positive, so energetic. Not the type at all that I would anticipate would take his own life. I heard nothing of it. Nothing at all.”
“It’s not public knowledge. I hope for it to remain a private matter.”
Catherine’s hand slipped into his.
“Is there reason to believe it might not? For, I assure you, there has not been so much as a hum about it.” Thornwood was all business now, having quickly shaken off his initial reaction.
“Someone is trying to blackmail us.” Nicholas handed over the letter. “It’s clear they know that Daniel took his own life.”
Thornwood scanned the note, then looked up, his expression riddled with questions.
“I need your legal counsel, Thornwood. What are the repercussions should Daniel’s death be fully exposed?”
“Felo-de-se—the legal term for his death,” he said, handing the parchment back. “Felon of oneself. Self murder.” He sat back in his chair. “If he was convicted of the crime, his property would be forfeited.”
“How can a dead man face conviction?” Catherine asked before Nicholas could.
“It has been done.” Thornwood steepled his fingers together thoughtfully. “Were there any witnesses?”
Catherine’s grip tightened on Nicholas’s hand. “No one,” he lied smoothly. Laurence was long gone. Besides, he had no doubt Laurence would keep the truth to himself. In that, Catherine was right. He loved Daniel. Always had. If only ithadbeen like a brother. That left only Catherine. While he knew she would keep the secret, he had no wish to see her in the middle of an inquest.
“Then it cannot be proven at this point. It would be your word against this blackguard’s. No judge would order an exhumation of an earl’s son based on extortion, unless, of course, the blackmailer is of higher rank. Do you have any idea who is behind this?”
“I have angered a few people recently, but none of rank…that I know of.”
“Still busy speaking your mind to the discomfort of others?” Thornwood smiled. “Well, no matter. It will be easily dismissed if no one of authority is making the accusation. And why would someone of standing hide behind a letter of exaction?”
“You are sure of this, Thornwood?”
“I am. Even were I not, we could prove Daniel was not of sound mind. It might not prevent the desecration of his current burial spot should they demand it, but his properties would remain untouched.”
