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  “Well he didn’t,” Clarissa said in a firm tone. She cleared her throat and turned to the constable. “My husband told me that this time he got involved with terrible men who wouldn’t hesitate to harm him or me or my son, unless their debt was repaid. I laughed at him,” she covered her face with her palms. “I told him he should be a man and face up to his responsibilities and take charge of his own life.”

  “Mrs. Cartwright, I’m terribly sorry to have to put you through this, but we need to ensure that we get to the bottom of this. Did your husband at any point mention who these people were?”

  Clarissa nodded slightly. “He just mentioned someone called Skitter or Skilter, can’t be sure. But he said that was the man who introduced him to the group of men he had borrowed money from.”

  The constable and coroner looked at each other and something passed between them that Elias didn’t see, but Mary noticed.

  “How did Mr. Cartwright then get to the point of shooting himself?”

  “He told me that unless he settled those men, his life wouldn’t be worth living. That’s when he turned the gun on himself and I called him a coward who refused to face up to his mistakes and make things right. Then he …,”once again, she covered her face and sobbed in anguish.

  Dr. Fletcher motioned to Quentin with his head and they moved aside, whispering hurriedly. The latter then turned back to Clarissa.

  “Ma’am, I think we have all the facts that we need and once again, we’re very sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you, sirs,” Elias answered for his mother. “Is it alright if I begin preparations for my father’s burial?”

  “Indeed you can go ahead, and you can also count on us to be very discreet since we knew of your great grandfather and thought highly of him.”

  3

  Troubled Times

  If Elias thought his father’s suicide was a shock, whatever happened afterwards nearly blew his mind apart. Because of the nature of Richard’s death, the burial was held early the next morning and by noon it was all over.

  Lord Murray and his sons as well as Mary, all came to pay their respects and he was grateful for her presence for she seemed to be the only one who could keep his mother calm. Clarissa had never had friends because she was too ashamed of the mistakes she had made, so very few women were present to console her. Aside from the duke and his sons, the local vicar, Reverend Phillip Hastings, the constable and coroner, the rest of the men who attended Richard Cartwright’s burial were strangers not only to his son, but to his wife as well.

  Elias had an uneasy feeling about three of the men who seemed like they were not there to bury Richard, but for something else. Well, he would wait until they approached him because he just didn’t trust them.

  The mourners all returned to the house for light refreshments which Elias was pleased to note, Mary had organised. She was acting as hostess in place of his mother, who could barely hold herself together. He noticed that her father and brothers were observing her with something akin to curiosity tempered with mild anger but when they turned to him, their faces were expressionless.

  “Our sincere condolences on the untimely death of your father,” Lord Murray approached Elias, hand outstretched. “If there’s anything my family can do for you, please let us know.”

  “Thank you very much, your grace. It means a lot to my mother and I for you to come and console us.” George and Mark also shook his hand and moved on to allow other mourners to pay their respects to him.

  He wanted to shout out and say all this was for nothing since they probably expected him to act all sad. In a way he was sad, because his father’s suicide had taken its toll on his mother. She hadn’t stopped blaming herself and kept repeating that she should have just given him all her jewelery to pawn as he wanted. Then none of this would have happened.

  But Elias knew that it wouldn’t have stopped there. His father would have kept coming back until he sold everything in the house and finally the house and lands on which it stood. There was just no stopping Richard Cartwright when he was on a destructive mission and in a way his death brought Elias some relief.

  But not for long, for soon after the last guests had left, one of the three men approached him. Mary had taken his mother upstairs to her bedroom so he was alone in the drawing room where he had been receiving visitors.

  “Mr. Elias, my name is Tobias Kent and these are my associates Henry Croft and Timothy Wickers.”

  “Thank you for coming to condole with us.”

  “That too, but the main reason we came is because of these,” he handed Elias a bunch of promissory notes adding up to thousands of pounds. “Your father owed us a lot of money plus interest and it’s a pity he died so suddenly. Now we have come to ask you as the administrator of his estate to settle our debts.”

  “Where am I supposed to find this kind of money?” Elias read one promissory note after the other, and they were arranged chronologically, some dating to over five years ago. The interest on them was extremely high. “Why did you keep lending my father money even until very recently, when it was obvious that he owed you so much?”

  “That’s because he had put the house in London, this one and the land down as his collateral. We have instructed our solicitors to get in touch with you and you have seven days within which to raise this money. Or else we shall come back and repossess everything of value.”

  “You can’t do that,” Elias protested strongly. “My mother and I weren’t the ones who borrowed money from you.”

  “But your father did,” Henry looked pityingly at Elias. He was in his mid-forties and looked like a well fed cat with a red face and a mop of dark hair. “If your father had daughters, then they would have been of use to helping him settle his debts by marrying wealthy men,” he said and the other two laughed with him. “Sadly, you’re the one who has to bear this cross so, you have seven days.”

  Elias watched in disbelief as the three men took their leave, having left him holding the notes that showed the debt his father owed them. What was he going to do? If his father had been terrified enough of these men to end his own life, Elias would be wise to take their subtle threats seriously. It was mostly his mother that he was worried about. How would she cope with losing the house after losing her husband so recently?

  “My mother was in love with my father, in spite of whatever he did to her over the years,” he confided to Mary moments later when she came downstairs and told him that his mother was fast asleep. “No matter the humiliation and embarrassment he subjected her to, she wouldn’t say a single mean thing about him. It surprised me that she wasn’t willing to give the only things of value she had to him.”

  “Mrs. Cartwright kept saying she had hidden the jewelery for you, that it was the only thing of value that you could ever inherit from her.”

  “In a way she did right not to give them to my father,” Elias sighed. “His creditors were also here for the funeral and we have seven days to raise over twenty thousand pounds that he owed them, or else they will repossess the house, the lands and anything else that is of value. For my mother’s sake, I can’t let that happen.”

  “What will you do? Twenty thousand pounds is a lot of money and if those men were the reason your father took his own life,” Mary shook her head. The terrible words didn’t bear speaking out loud.

  “I will have to sell my horses,” Elias said and Mary almost cried out at the unfairness of it all. He shouldn’t have to carry his father’s sins. “Their worth is more than that and fortunately there’s someone who has been begging me to sell them to him.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Mary wished she could offer more comfort but didn’t want him to feel that she was being too forward. “It just isn’t right that the person who owes the debt should get away with it.”

  “My father must have been in a hell of his own for him to take his own life. I’m not doing this for him, but for my mother. She has lived a terrible life all these twenty seven years and then my fathe
r does the ultimate selfish thing and pours more guilt on her. She is undeserving of such treatment and the best thing I can do is to ensure that she will never lose her home.”

  “I could ask my father and brothers to help,” Mary blurted out and immediately regretted her words when Elias turned cold eyes towards here. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

  “No matter how bad things are for me and my mother, we do not accept charity.”

  4

  Beloved Lady

  Mary blinked back the tears at Elias’s harsh and cold tone and he was immediately remorseful. She had been nothing but nice to his mother and probably her offer came from a good heart.

  “I’ll be going home now,” she said as she hurriedly left the room and practically ran to the horse she had tethered behind the house. What a horrid man, she thought. He didn’t have to be so mean and make her feel so small. She thought they were getting somewhere but apparently she was mistaken.

  “Mary, wait,” she heard Elias calling out to her but ignored him and urged her horse into a run. A few moments later she heard thundering hooves behind her and knew that he was in pursuit. She thought about racing forward but then considered her mare and slowed down.

  “I’m sorry,” Elias said when he finally caught up with her. “It’s just that things have been a little strained at home and I don’t want your pity, or anyone else’s for that matter. My mother and I have endured pitying looks from neighbours and friends alike all these years and the last thing I want is for your family to think we’re nothing but desperate people.”

  “It was just a suggestion, you didn’t have to turn so cold.”

  “That’s why I followed you to say that I’m sorry.” He shook his head then got down from his horse. He held the reins of her mare and tethered both animals to a small bush. “Mary,” he took her hands. “You must be aware that I feel deeply about you.”

  “Could have fooled me,” she muttered and he squeezed her hands.

  “Please hear me out. You’re the daughter of a duke, and a very wealthy one at that. My family is another story altogether and the moment I make my intentions known to your family, they will think that I’m a gold digger just out to get your dowry. Everyone knows that is what my father did to my mother and I can bet that they would think it is a matter of, ‘like father, like son.’”

  “My family aren’t that shallow, Elias,” being in close proximity with Elias was driving her crazy. “Just a few months ago we were in the same situation and when Amanda married my brother Mark, things changed for us.”

  “I bet he had to endure a lot of teasing and condemnation from people who might have felt that he married just for the dowry.”

  “Who cares what people say? As long as it isn’t true then there’s nothing to worry about. Mark proved to all those condescending members of the public that true love exists. Even now many have come forward and completely approve of their marriage.”

  “So are you saying that in spite of my terrible circumstances, that you would consider me to be a suitable husband for you?” His gaze was so intense that Mary blushed furiously and he laughed softly. “You’re such a beautiful and shy girl,” he touched her cheek. “I’ve loved you for a while but I always thought you were a snob and feared to come close to you.”

  “Please let me help you, Elias. If we talk to my father, I’m sure he will be agreeable to us getting married, and then you can use my dowry to settle your father’s debts.”

  Elias shook his head. “The last thing I want is to be the son-in-law that your family will always be looking at and wondering if I married you merely for your money or if I truly love you.”

  “But selling your horses, isn’t that like cutting your own foot off? I know that they bring in some income for you and your mother to live on, but what will happen after you sell them?”

  “I’ll have to find a way of ensuring that mama and I don’t starve. The important thing is that we won’t lose our home.”

  * * *

  Mary was in a pensive mood when the family gathered for supper that evening. Her father wanted to ask what the matter was, but he restrained himself because of her sisters-in-law. But she knew that at some point the men of her family would summon her and ask her a lot of questions.

  She was in love with Elias, and he loved her too. That’s all that mattered, and she was going to have to find a way of convincing him to accept help from her family. After all, just a few months ago they were in the same dire straits as he was right now and should understand.

  “Mary, your brothers and I would like to have a word with you,” her father said, smiling at Hannah and Amanda as they left the room. They were polite women who knew when their presence wasn’t required.

  “Yes, Papa?”

  “I didn’t like what I heard and saw with my own eyes today,” Lord Murray said. “You were behaving as if you’re the mistress of the Cartwright home. What’s come over you, child?”

  “Is it wrong for one to help neighbours in need, Papa?” She looked at her brothers, daring any of them to contradict her. “Mrs. Cartwright and her son have suffered a huge blow and as good neighbours we have to help as much as we can.”

  “But from days past, that family never mixes with anyone. They keep mostly to themselves, not inviting nor accepting invitations from anyone. They are totally secluded and even the circumstances of Mr. Richard Cartwright’s death are shrouded in mystery. I don’t want you spending any more time over at that house.”

  “That’s not fair, papa,” Mary cried out. “You don’t even know Elias and his mother, so why are you being judgmental about them?”

  George scowled at his sister. “Mary, papa is merely being cautious about who you associate with. Don’t you know that you’re the daughter of a duke and more than that, have a hefty dowry that any scruffy gold digger will wish to get his hands on. You can’t afford to leave yourself exposed in that manner.”

  “Elias is not a gold digger,” she minced out in frustration. “Just so you know, his family is about to lose everything and I told him to come and ask you people for help. Do you know what he said?”

  “Enlighten us please, dear sister,” this from Mark who was leaning against the wall.

  “He said that no matter what kind of trouble that he and his mother are in, they would never accept charity from anyone.”

  George clapped, “Well said and well played. Mary, don’t you see that the man is merely playing with your emotions? He wants you to believe that he’s some pious man and when you’re deeply in love with him, he’ll break your heart. See what his own father did to his mother. The apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree now, does it?”

  “Stop judging someone you don’t know, especially you Mark. Isn’t it Amanda’s money that has lifted this family from poverty and destitution? Didn’t people say you were a gold digger but you proved them wrong? Why won’t you give Elias the same benefit of the doubt?”

  Mark shook his head. “Our circumstances are quite different”

  “How so?” Mary was going to give her brothers as good as she got. “You were a poor man who ran away from home and went to become a vagabond. If Amanda hadn’t saved you when you fell ill, what do you think would have happened to you? And didn’t you actually elope to Gretna Green?”

  “We didn’t go ahead with the wedding because we felt it wouldn’t be right to do so in the absence of our families. But you know that I wasn’t a gold digger.”

  “Your family knew that, but Amanda’s aunt was opposed to the idea as was her father, but in the end they gave you a chance. Why won’t you give Elias a chance?”

  Lord Murray’s piercing glance was daunting, but Mary refused to back down. “You’ve not heard any scandals attached to Elias’s name, and should a son suffer for the sins of his father?”

  “It is clear that you won’t listen to what your brothers and I have to say, Mary. The thing is, I’m your father and no matter what you say, you’ll have to obey what I ha
ve to say. Is that clear?”

  “Yes Papa,” Mary let the tears flow as she left the dining room. She loved her family but sometimes they were overly protective of her. Why couldn’t they see the kind of man that Elias was? Society could be very unfair to those who suffered through no fault of their own.

  5

  Love Tested

  Elias missed Mary, and his horses too. Now that he had none to ride, he would walk to the same spot where he knew she liked to stop and watch him. For the past few days he’d been going up there but she never showed up. His mother was also fretting and asking about Mary, but he didn’t know what to tell her. It was obvious that she had been forbidden from meeting with him and he sighed. Poverty was a curse; that much he now believed.

  He was sure that if his family still had money, a carpet would have been laid out for him right up to Lord Murray’s manor. The only good thing he had seen in the past few days was the promissory notes his father owed shredded by his creditors and they announced that he and his mother were free forever.

  He knew that they had been lucky because sometimes creditors turned around and demanded even more than they were owed. But he still wasn’t going to rest easy since he had no idea who else his father owed money to. That’s the reason why he still had a little money left over and had kept it in reserve, just in case anyone else showed up demanding for their debts to be settled. He would protect his mother from any other scandals as much as possible.

  A horse neighed softly and he turned around, a smile breaking out on his face when he saw who it was.

  Mary knew that Elias didn’t have any horses anymore and she had just taken a chance to come out and see if he would be at their spot as she called the riding grounds. He was, and her heart skipped a beat. His smiled melted her insides and she knew that if she didn’t get off the horse quickly, she might disgrace herself by swooning from on top of it.