A Change of Fortune (39 page)

Dwight pushed her into the car, slammed the door and clambered in the back. ‘We’re coming with you, whether you like it or not.’

She cast a mutinous glare at the men, and then folded her arms, shivering slightly.

‘Your coat is in the back. Give it to her, Dwight.’

Once Jenny had struggled into her coat, Matthew turned in his seat to face her.

‘Now, tell me where you’re going.’

‘Russell Square, and I’ll direct you from there.’

Matthew put the car in gear and headed for Bloomsbury.

32

Never in her life had Jenny been so angry. She wanted answers only her family could give her. Her face was contorted with disgust. Family? She was going to finish this business once and for all, and the only way to do that was to confront each of them in turn. They weren’t going to get away with this. Oh, no! Her hands clenched into tight fists. They would be dealing with a very different girl from the one they had tried to swindle.

The fact that she now had some money of her own didn’t interest her. What was making the red mist rise before her eyes was the way they had lied about her father. She beat her fists on her knees. How could they do that? How could they be so cruel?

‘Where to now?’

Matthew’s voice penetrated her seething mind, and she managed to spit out the directions to her aunt’s house. She would go there first.

As soon as they were parked, she opened the car door, got out, ran up the steps and banged on the front door with all her might.

The door opened almost at once, and she pushed the butler aside. He caught her arm and she tried to rush past him.

‘Let her go!’ she heard Dwight drawl in his lovely American accent, so reminiscent of her father’s.

‘Where’s Mrs Osborne?’ Matthew demanded.

‘In the drawing room,’ the man spluttered, glaring at Matthew and Dwight. ‘But who are you? And how dare you burst in like this!’

‘I’ll announce myself.’ Jenny ran up the stairs and erupted into the room, throwing the door open with such force that it crashed against the wall.

The occupants rose in alarm.

Jenny glared at her mother, aunt and Greaves. ‘How kind of you all to be here at the same time,’ she snarled.

‘Eugenie!’ Her mother was the first to recover, and eyed her daughter up and down with a look of distaste. ‘What disgusting clothes you are wearing.’

‘I’ve got holes in my shoes as well.’ Jenny couldn’t resist taunting her mother, who was always so immaculate.

‘What is the meaning of this sudden appearance,’ her aunt demanded, ‘and who are these two?’ She waved a hand at Matthew and Dwight, who had closed the drawing-room door and were leaning against it with their arms folded. ‘If you don’t all leave at once, I shall call the police.’

‘Oh, please do.’ Jenny smiled evilly and glanced at Dwight. ‘Do you think we can have them arrested for attempted embezzlement?’

‘It would be fun to try,’ he drawled, hooking his thumbs in his belt and looking every inch the gunslinger from the movies.

‘What are you talking about?’ her mother demanded. ‘What’s all this nonsense about embezzlement?’

Jenny gave her a long contemptuous stare, just managing to control a humourless laugh. ‘So they didn’t even tell you about the money.’ Her gaze swept over the three of them. ‘I know all about the way you’ve lied to me. Now I want to know why! I’ll start with you,
mother
! Father divorced you for adultery. He wanted custody of me. You never cared for me, so why didn’t you agree?’

‘If I’d done that, he would have taken you to America, but while you were with me he had to support us both. What did you expect me to do? He was wealthy. I wasn’t going to live in poverty!’ She looked outraged at the very idea.

Jenny turned away in disgust and dismissed the avaricious woman from her thoughts. She was no longer her daughter.

‘And now you,
aunt.
Why did you tell me that my father had committed suicide when you knew it wasn’t true?’ Her voice trembled. In her view, this was the most heinous crime. ‘You never liked him, always running him down, but why try to demean him even in death?’

‘I don’t have to explain myself to you,’ her aunt said haughtily. ‘You look as if you have just come out of the slums.’

‘I have, and it’s a whole lot more savoury than here, I can tell you. The people I live with might be poor, but they are honest!’ She stepped forward menacingly
until she was face to face with this hated woman, pleased to see that she was now taller than her aunt. Jenny spoke through clenched teeth. ‘You will answer my questions or I’ll give you the thrashing you deserve.’ ‘Albert!’

Jenny laughed and cast a quick glance at Greaves. He looked as if he wanted to run, but he wasn’t going to be able to get past Matthew and Dwight. ‘It’s no use calling for that coward. I’ll ask you just one more time. Why did you hate him so much, and why did you lie to me?’

A look of sheer malice crossed her aunt’s face. ‘Yes, I hated him! He should have married me. Instead he chose my stupid sister and I never forgave him for that. When Osborne proposed I married him, only to find out he was nearly penniless. I got my revenge on Cyrus in the end by telling everyone he’d shot himself.’ Her laugh was ugly. ‘That made him look like a weak man. And with Albert’s help I was determined to get my hands on some of the money he’d left you.’

The temptation to hit the cruel woman was great, but Jenny managed to resist – just. She stayed toe to toe with her. ‘And you thought you could take control?’

‘Of course. You were too young to handle your own affairs.’

‘Why were you so determined to marry me to him?’ She nodded in Greaves’s direction. ‘As my husband he would have had control of the money, surely.’

‘We’d drawn up a written agreement to share it. We were both in financial difficulties.’ Gertrude Osborne
was speaking quite freely now, obviously realizing that it would be useless to refuse to speak.

Jenny raised her eyebrows at Dwight. ‘A legal agreement between thieves. What do you think of that?’

‘Despicable, Jenny,’ he drawled, ‘but they’d forgotten one thing. Your father appointed me your guardian and left me in control of the purse strings.’ He gave an apologetic shrug. ‘But, do you know, I do believe I forgot to mention that to them.’

She tutted in a parody of censure. ‘How very remiss of you.’

He grinned.

Now Jenny turned her attention to Greaves. ‘You are the most evil of the pathetic trio. When I wouldn’t come to you willingly, you sent two thugs after me. They stabbed Matthew and nearly killed him. I’ll never forgive you for that, and if there is ever a way to have you charged with attempted murder, I’ll see you stand trial.’ She had the satisfaction of seeing him blanch at the threat. ‘Would $25,000 split between the two of you have cleared your debts?’

‘Not quite, but there was more to come when you were twenty-one,’ Greaves mumbled, now with a very unhealthy-looking flush to his skin. ‘A lot more, and as your husband I’d have had it all.’

She turned slowly to face Dwight. ‘More?’

He raised his hands in surrender. ‘You rushed out before I got to that part.’

‘How much?’

He grinned again. ‘About $50,000.’

‘Really?’ Jenny fought to control a hysterical laugh from bursting out as she heard her mother gasp. This was becoming more ridiculous by the minute.

Her mother stepped forward imploringly. ‘I didn’t know about the money until now. If I had known, I would never have allowed you to go to Albert. All I knew was that my allowance stopped immediately and that I was penniless. You can come home with me, Eugenie. My husband is old and sick, but I’ve got a lovely house –’

‘Dear Lord,’ Jenny gasped. ‘Your greed has clouded your sense of reality. No, more than that – it has completely destroyed your ability to tell right from wrong. You are beneath contempt. You may not have known about the money, but you must have known my father didn’t kill himself, and yet you let your sister lie to me.’

‘Well, Gertrude thought it would be for the best. And I needed her then.’

‘Best!’ Jenny exploded. ‘I never thought you were very bright, with your single-minded urge to climb the social ladder, but you really are stupid, aren’t you?’

‘Don’t talk to me like that!’

‘Shut up!’ Jenny swept a ferocious gaze over each one of them. ‘I don’t want to see or hear from any of you –
ever again
! I hope you rot in hell for the anguish you have put me through!’

With that parting shot she turned and walked out, head held high, as the two men opened the door for her. Matthew and Dwight fell in behind her as she left the house.

It was over! She was free of them, with lovely memories of her father filling her mind. The doubt was gone. He hadn’t killed himself. He had loved her. Now as far as she was concerned, Ma had been her mother, and Fred and Glad her uncle and aunt. She couldn’t wish for a lovelier family. She was going to give them the best damned Christmas they had ever had.

‘Take me home, Matthew, please,’ she said when they reached the car.

‘To Lambeth?’ He opened the door for her.

‘Of course. Where else would I go?’

He ignored her sharp tone. ‘You could come and stay with us until –’

Her emotions were still in turmoil and she gave him a withering look. ‘What, now I’ve got money?’

‘Don’t insult me, Jen. When have I ever cared if you were rich or poor?’

She was instantly contrite. That had been unkind and she’d hurt him. He’d only ever shown her kindness; he didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that. She touched his arm, her eyes full of remorse. ‘I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I don’t know what I’m saying.’

He gathered her in his arms and held her gently for a moment, then kissed the top of her head. ‘I know, it’s all too much at the moment, isn’t it?’

She nodded and got in the car, not speaking all the way back to Lambeth as she struggled to come to terms with everything.

It was dark by the time they arrived, and both men
followed her indoors. She put more coal on the fire and poked it until it burst into life.

‘Would you like tea?’ she asked politely, but secretly wishing they would go away so she could be on her own. It had been a traumatic day.

They shook their heads, and she sat in Ma’s chair – something she had never done before, but it gave her comfort now.

‘Cosy place you’ve got here.’ Dwight gazed around the small room, then smiled at her. ‘Real quaint.’

‘Yes, it is. When will I be able to have the money?’

‘I’ll deposit it in a bank of your choice tomorrow.’

‘Thank you. Will you put it in the Stannard Bank, please?’

‘Sure.’ Dwight studied her intently. ‘You’re a real plucky girl and your father would have been proud of you today. And for the way you’ve survived the last two years.’

Her eyes clouded with tears and she bit her lip, determined not to break down. It was hard, because now that the anger had vanished she felt drained and emotional.

‘I’ll collect you at about ten tomorrow and we’ll go to the bank together, shall we?’ Dwight asked.

‘Yes, thank you.’ She blinked rapidly until she could see clearly again, and said, ‘I need to be alone now. I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.’

As they left, Matthew stopped at the door and stared at her, his expression troubled. She smiled to assure him she was all right, and with a slight nod he left with Dwight.

Matt hesitated and slapped his hand on the top of his car, bowing his head, because it felt as if his heart was going to shatter. The picture of Jenny sitting in Ma’s chair, small and frail, was imprinted on his mind. She had seemed numb, not even bothering to take off her coat. It was a complete contrast to the girl who had faced her family with such ferocity. He couldn’t leave her alone like this.

‘She’ll be all right, Matt.’ Dwight placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘She’s had one hell of a shock, and now reaction has set in. She needs to be alone.’

‘I don’t like to think of her being by herself,’ he murmured, then spun on his heel and strode to Fred and Glad’s house, knocking firmly.

Stan opened the door. ‘Hello, Matt, come in, and your friend.’

‘Glad,’ he said, as soon as they set foot inside the room, ‘would you keep an eye on Jenny this evening?’

‘Of course.’ Glad studied Dwight. ‘What’s happened?’

It was Dwight who spoke. ‘I’m a lawyer from New York and I’ve brought her news of her father. Things she didn’t know.’

‘She’s in shock.’ Matt explained. ‘She said she needs to be alone, but I’m not happy about that.’

‘Don’t you worry, lad.’ Fred stood up and shook hands with Dwight. ‘Thanks for letting us know. We’ll watch out for her.’

Matt breathed a sigh of relief. They would be able
to help her more than he could at the moment. ‘We’ll be back tomorrow morning.’

After taking their leave, Matt drove home as quickly as possible. After the way Jenny had stormed from their house, they must be worried sick, wondering what was going on.

He was right.

‘What’s been happening?’ his father demanded as soon as they arrived.

‘We’ve just seen a display of controlled fury my old friend Cyrus would have been proud of.’ Dwight was still grinning, obviously having enjoyed himself.