Vanessa disappeared for a few moments and returned with a large woolly blanket, which she tucked about Toby even though it was a warm day and his body was still radiating heat.
In no time at all he was fast asleep.
Duncan strode off in the direction of the bridge and the grassy avenue beyond it. Merton and Moreland were just behind him. He did not look back to see if the others were following. He did not stop until he was far enough down the avenue that they were quite out of earshot from the house or stables.
Norman spoke first. 'You deserve to be horsewhipped, Sheringford,' he said. 'And it would give me the greatest pleasure to be the one doing the whipping.
Unfortunately, you may escape with nothing worse than transportation or a hanging. I did not believe even you capable of such villainy. Caroline has been inconsolable since she learned the truth, and Randolph has been – ' 'Norm.' Duncan held up one hand. 'Before you launch further into your speech, may I ask if Turner has lost his tongue since I last saw him at my aunt's soiree? I would have thought this was /his/ speech to deliver.' Turner had not uttered a word since his arrival. But everyone looked at him expectantly now.
He cleared his throat. 'You aided and abetted my wife in keeping my son from me, Sheringford,' he said. 'And then you continued to keep him from me after her death. I am not as hot-headed as Norman. I am of a more forgiving nature. I have come for my son, and I will take him with me when I leave. I am prepared to leave you to your conscience.' 'Randolph!' Norman exclaimed, puffed up with outrage. 'You cannot possibly – ' Duncan held up his hand again. 'Yes,' he said, 'it is what I expected you would be prepared to do, Turner. Is my guess correct? Is Norm the only one in this group who does not know the whole story?' Turner blanched more if that were possible. 'I know – ' Norman began. 'Oh, hold your tongue,' Turner said sharply, and Norman was left with his mouth hanging open, unutterable surprise on his face. 'My brothers-in-law know the truth,' Duncan said. 'My wife knows it. So does my sister-in-law. The other members of our immediate family will know it soon as the time for secrecy is over. The truth can no longer hurt poor Laura. My wife's family are people of some influence, Turner.
So are my grandfather and my mother and stepfather. All are people whose word is trusted. And all are people who can keep their own counsel when it is asked of them. It is up to you now to decide how many other people outside my family circle will know the story surrounding Toby's conception – no one or everyone. It must be one or the other.' Turner attempted to bluster. 'I do not know what you think you know, Sheringford,' he said. 'I do not know what lies my wife told you – she was not much given to truth-telling, God knows. The child is /mine/.' 'He even /looks/ like you, Randolph,' Caroline said. 'When he came running up to the carriage, it was like seeing you as a child again. No one, seeing him, can possibly dispute the fact that he is yours.' 'He also,' Merton said, his voice perfectly amiable, 'resembles your half brother, ma'am. Or so I have been told. I have not met the man in person. Though I will if I ever need to. It would be a pleasure, in fact.' /'Gareth/?' Caroline said. 'If that is his name, ma'am,' Merton said, inclining his head. 'I understand he was your brother's valet five years or so ago – a pleasant arrangement for you all, I am sure. You must be fond of him.' 'Caroline, my love, what – ' Norman began. 'You cannot prove a thing, Sheringford,' Turner said, his face flushing with color suddenly, his hands opening and closing at his sides, his face contorted with fury. 'Of all the filthy things to suggest. Is /that/ what she told you? I – ' Duncan raised his eyebrows when he stopped abruptly. 'You will punch me senseless for provoking you, Turner?' he asked. 'I doubt it. I would punch back, you see, and might knock /you/ senseless.
You would not like that, would you? Let us be rational and sensible instead. I have a proposal to make to you.' 'Now, see here, Sheringford,' Norman said. 'You are not in any position – ' 'Oh, /do/ be quiet,' Caroline said.
Norman shut his mouth with a clacking of teeth. 'This is it,' Duncan said. 'You return to London, be quite open and frank with anyone who will listen – and everyone will – about where you have been and why you came here, and then declare that you were quite mistaken, that you are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Toby is /not/ yours, that he was conceived in sin while Laura and I were lovers before we ran away together. You will publicly repudiate him and refuse to accept him as your son or to take any responsibility for him. Then you may carry on with your life in any manner you please.' 'This is /preposterous/, Randolph,' Norman cried. 'He is in no – ' 'You would be well advised to button your lips, Pennethorne,' Moreland said. 'How can I repudiate my own son?' Turner asked, licking his lips. 'He is /mine/, Sheringford. I – ' 'You /what/, Turner?' Duncan asked him. 'You watched him being conceived?' Caroline clapped both hands to her mouth.
Norman gaped.
Turner blanched again. 'There will be some snickering behind your back, I do not doubt,' Duncan said, 'over the fact that I was cuckolding you even before I ran off with Laura. But it will be no more than most people already believe. And you will get off lightly, Turner. The ladies will weep over you. You may even put it about, if you wish, that you blackened both my eyes while you were here. I will not contradict you, and I daresay my brothers-in-law will not either.' Turner continued to stare at him. 'Take it or leave it,' Duncan said. 'If you leave it, Turner, the entire /ton/ will know the whole truth. Doubtless most of them will believe the story even if it comes only from my mouth – people like to believe the worst of others, as you may have noticed. But when other, well- respected voices are joined to mine – the Duke of Moreland's, the Earl of Merton's, Baron Montford's, the Marquess of Claverbrook's, Sir Graham Carling's, not to mention their wives, I doubt you will be able to find a corner of England in which to hide from the scorn and scandal that will be the inevitable result. The law and the church may give you Toby, but your life will be worthless. The choice is yours.' 'I /wish/ someone would tell me,' Norman said, 'what this is all about.
You do not have a leg to stand on, Sheringford. You are a child kidnapper and a rogue. You have hidden the very existence of a child from his lawful and loving father for almost five years.' Everyone ignored him.
Turner licked his lips again. 'He is my /son/,' he said, his voice almost a whisper. 'But he is not, is he?' Duncan said. 'Not in any way at all. In all ways that matter he is mine. He even has my name. He was christened Tobias Duncan Pennethorne – my natural son, who will be loved all his life as dearly as if he were as legitimate as my other children will be.' 'And whom his new mother and uncles and aunts love dearly and have welcomed into my family too,' Merton added. 'Randolph,' Norman said, 'would you – ' But Turner had turned on his heel and was striding back in the direction of the house. 'Caroline,' Norman said, 'would you – ' 'Oh, be /quiet/!' she cried, turning on him, her eyes flashing. 'Cannot you see that he is blackmailing Randolph and that Randolph has no choice but to allow it? You do not believe Laura would have run away from him if the child had really been his, do you? And he is not Lord Sheringford's either – he was besotted with /me/ at the time. Oh, I wish in my heart I had never suggested that Randolph bring Gareth to London.
I might have /known/ he would be too jealous to make the idea work and that Laura would be too squeamish. And I might have /known/ that she would run to Lord Sheringford and that he would take her away and abandon me to /you/. Oh, do stop gaping in that ridiculous way, Norman, and come along, or Randolph will leave without us.' And she went hurrying back along the avenue, all delicate, feminine little steps and flouncing muslin.
For once Norman was speechless. He looked at Duncan, his lips working soundlessly, and then went scurrying off after his wife. '/Dash/ it all,' Merton said when he was out of earshot. 'Neither one of them gave me enough excuse to break his nose. My knuckles will itch with frustration for a week.' 'A woman's way of doing things is never quite satisfactory to a man's way of thinking,' Moreland said with a sigh. 'I still prefer your original plan of pounding Turner to a bloody pulp, Sheringford, while Stephen and I tossed the dice over who would have the pleasure of breaking Pennethorne's nose. But Margaret's plan really was the better one. Turner has been thoroughly and permanently vanquished, and not a drop of blood shed. /Damnation/! Why could he not at least have taken a swing at you?' 'At one point,' Duncan said, 'I really thought he was going to. Alas, he remembered his true nature in time. Maggie has made Toby safe, but I /wish/ her plan could have included just a small degree of violence. Or, even better, a whole lot of it.' Moreland clapped a hand on his shoulder. 'And talking of Margaret,' he said, 'I daresay she and Vanessa are having a very bad time of it, waiting to hear what happened out here.' 'Yes,' Duncan said, closing his eyes briefly.
Was it really all over? As easily as this?
Could he now return to Maggie and to Toby and assure them that their life together as a family was secure at last?
Where were they? In the nursery?
He hurried off in the direction of home without even stopping to thank his brothers-in-law for offering such formidable moral support.
He was running by the time he had crossed the bridge.
