The expert at my trial had been quite explicit in his testimony, walking the court through the many signs of a forged letter. As I read further, there was no doubt that this letter wasn’t from Jon.
So why send it?
And I recalled the long wait to enter Diamond quadrant, the knowing looks on the men’s faces.
Jon hadn’t sent the printed invitation I received at the event. And I’m sure everyone had wondered why I'd said so.
Yet why didn’t Jon say anything?
I never wanted you to see me like this.
He’d felt well when he sent the first letter. He’d felt poorly when he sent the second, yet was desperate enough to speak with me that he dared to do so, hoping to be able to meet somewhere. By the time I arrived, he was unwell, most decidedly so, and not wanting to contradict what I was doing, thought he might as well brave it out so as to see me once more.
And I felt dismayed: I’d undoubtedly caused him upset, if not just by my arriving but within his entire family. What should I do?
After some thought, I wrote to Gardena at the Country House:
My dearest Gardena —
I hope you’re well. I so long to see you once more.
I’ve not had news from your brother in some time: I hope he’s improved.
I hear the back gardens in your Manor are lovely this time of year. Perhaps we might take a turn together, gossiping about old times as we once did here.
Give my love to your family.
Jacqui
Gardena would most certainly remember that day in the garden, and hopefully would recall we’d only ever been gossiping about her brother Jack.
I had Pearson send a man on horseback to the Diamond Country House, and told him to put this letter into Miss Gardena Diamond’s hand, no one else’s. Once done, I took up the list Tony had left me.
There were over a hundred names upon it.
Now I realized why women set a particular day of the week to be “at home.” But then, they didn’t get so terribly behind on their duties.
The second letter was from Mr. Doyle Pike:
Madam,
It’s been almost two months without a word from you. Please contact my office to arrange a meeting at your earliest convenience.
Mr. Doyle Pike, Esq.
Pike and Associates
Oh, dear.
I’d been dreading this.
I knew exactly how Jake Bower had died: in the inferno Jack Diamond set in that Spadros warehouse to fake his death. But how to tell Mr. Pike my certainty, without revealing how I might know?
If I told him I last saw Mr. Bower in the hands of the Diamond Family, then he’d want to ask them where Mr. Bower was being kept. Cesare Diamond would say that he’d sent Mr. Bower to the Prison for Jack to question him ... but Mr. Bower wouldn’t be there.
Mr. Pike was too good a lawyer not to know I hid something. And now this had become personal to him, he’d pursue it until he learned the truth. Which would not only put him in danger, but probably Jack as well.
Damn that Jack Diamond! What a wretched scoundrel he was to put me in this position!
I went back downstairs to Pearson, who stood there as if he’d never left. “When is my husband scheduled to be home?”
“I just got news his meeting’s finished early, mum. He’ll be here in time for tea.”
Relief washed over me. “Please tell him I’d like to see him as soon as possible when he returns. It’s most important.”
“Of course, mum.”
“And I suppose you have a copy of my calling list?”
Pearson’s mouth turned up at the corners. “I do, mum.”
“Find out when these women are ‘at home,’ if you please. And ... oh, I don’t know, let’s say I’ll be at home on ... Wednesdays. Starting next week.”
“Very good, mum. I’ll inform the staff, the men on your detail, and the bridge guards.”
All those people needed to know ... for me to make one random decision? I now began to see the outward ripples of the choices I made here as the Lady of Spadros.
Overwhelmed, I went to the veranda, to my table there in the corner, and sat, putting my face in my hands. Jon could smooth things over once. But if I’d have gone to Jonathan Diamond’s home a second time without an invitation, the news would have spread like wildfire.
I could only see the tabloids: “Lady of Spadros Love-Sick For Diamond Heir?”
It was yet one more way the Red Dog Gang tried to discredit me, to cause turmoil in my quadrant and harm to my friends.
And I almost fell for it.
The horse-man wouldn’t get to the Diamond Country House for some time. It’d be late, and his horse would be weary. He might turn round with a reply at once, but it was more likely they’d let him stay the night, to return with a reply tomorrow.
There was nothing more I might do in that matter today.
The not-so-small form inside me kicked, and I had to hurry to a toilet-room before I ruined my dress.
* * *
Tony arrived in time to change for tea, and instead of going downstairs, he came straight after to my rooms. “Pearson said it sounded urgent: what’s happened?”
The only ones who might be listening were Tony’s manservant Jacob Michaels and possibly Pearson. “I was sent an invitation to Diamond Manor supposedly from Jon, which was a forgery. It had all the signs that the handwriting expert showed us at the trial.”
Tony gaped at me.
“There’s more, but it’ll wait.”
Tony nodded. I took his arm and we went into the hallway.
“Thank the gods you recognized it,” Tony said. “I’m not fond of another scandal right now.”
Either one of us had enough skeletons in the closet to provide a whole newspaper’s worth of scandal for a year.
“The servants said you were on the veranda,” Tony said, “so I asked if we might take tea there.”
“That sounds good.” It was nice out there that day.
He leaned over. “Then we might take a stroll in the garden before night falls.”
I squeezed his arm. “And further our discussion.” It was times like this I truly loved the man: when he was witty, and softly fond.
We ate, had our tea, and went to stroll the gardens whilst the servants cleared the table. It was there I told him of Mr. Pike’s letter. “So you see, I don’t know what to tell the man.”
Tony considered the matter for some time, then drew me to a bench, where we sat. “Tell him the truth: that the man was caught up in the Diamond Purge and executed as a spy.”
“Won’t that make him bitter towards the Diamonds? They own the Court; he has to work with them every day.”
“More likely, if he’s ever sent the man into Diamond, it’ll make him remorseful, wondering if he’d given him some assignment which led to his doom.” Tony leaned back. “A pity, but you’re right: if he goes hunting for the man on his own, it’ll lead to no good.”