Anything but Love (The Putney Brothers Book 1) by Elizabeth Bramwell

Author:Elizabeth Bramwell [Bramwell, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chinook Sun
Published: 2019-10-31T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter EIGHT

"It's not good news," said Sir Joseph over port the following night.

The family had cancelled their plans to attend the Trow's Venetian Breakfast that evening, and opted instead for a quiet dinner and evening of card games. Charles suspected that Marianne was more irritated by this than he would have expected, although she made no fuss out loud. She had been quiet throughout all three courses that his mother had served, commenting only once that the dish of minted peas were favourites, and seemed content to let everyone around her talk.

As soon as the three ladies had retired to the sitting room, however, Sir Joseph had ordered all the footmen away so that he could talk with his sons in private.

"I take it you haven't found the man who tried to abduct Marianne, then," said Charles, his mood grim.

His father shook his head. "No, but I did not expect to."

"I asked about in Newtown, but no one seems to know anything, which leads me to expect the man was hired from outside the area," said Harry, running his fingers up and down his glass. "Having said that, there was a man matching Cuthbert Headley's description seen over the last few days."

"Unfortunately Cuthbert Headley looks like every other overstuffed pigeon with more money than style," said John. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It does when combined with the fact that Marianne was almost stolen away on my watch," said Charles through gritted teeth. "There's no reason for anyone else to lay a finger on her."

"I don't dispute it was Headley, old boy," said John with his customary calm, "only whether it was him showing his face in Newtown."

"We all know it was the girl's cousin," snapped Sir Joseph. "There's no question of that now."

"Now?" said Charles, his ears picking up. "What do you mean by that?"

His father sighed and rubbed at his eyes.

“I did a little investigating of my own – and do not tell your mother about this, as I have no wish to worry her!”

“Not a word,” promised Charles, although he was aware of a pang of guilt at the thought that his father may have taken up some of less than above-board dealings again just to help Marianne.

His father waited until both his brothers had sworn the same before continuing.

"Before Marianne’s arrival, it seems that the Headleys were so much in the thrall of their creditors that not a single merchant in Clun would let them buy on account.”

“You’d never have thought it, the way they spent so lavishly in London,” said Harry. “I know we only attended their soirees because of Gordon, but I do remember thinking that Mrs Headley must have spent an awful lot of money on those giant confectionaries considering there were so few of us in attendance.”

“That’s hardly surprising, given how London Society functions,” scoffed Sir Joseph. “My concern, however, is over the fact that they have paid off all the debts they owed in Clun, and have since racked up a large number of new accounts.

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