“Lydia has never been especially impressed by my heritage, I don’t think, daughter of the Duke of Dunbar or not.”
“Then she’s very foolish. You’ve done a good job at hiding your true nature from her. Much better than I hide mine.”
That was surely true. Arabella was a cunning little thing, though much less dangerous than before she’d married. And her niece was correct; Marissa was her father’s daughter. She’d learned well from Henry how to slowly destroy an adversary in the most excruciating way possible. An education Marissa was putting to good use on Pendleton.
“I know Brendan made a grand gesture for Petra’s sake—”
“He did,” Marissa said.
“Brendan loves Petra very much,” Arabella said. “I’m not sure exactly why—”
“You just said you reached an understanding with Petra. I would think as part of that, you would have a better opinion of her.”
“I have. But it doesn’t detract from the fact I think her weak-willed at times and far too obedient. A true milquetoast. Still, I don’t begrudge Brendan for wanting to protect her.”
“Petra is far less demure and well-behaved than you remember her, Niece. You should watch your step in the future,” Marissa warned. “Brendan worried far more for Petra’s reputation than she did herself, but then, he knows Lydia. Lydia maintains a large network of friends here in London who would be only too happy to destroy Petra in retaliation for her throwing over Lydia’s precious son. It brings her joy to ruin others. There are many ladies and indeed some gentlemen who can testify to the fact.”
“I find it ironic given her own daughter’s reputation.”
“Indeed, but Lydia doesn’t believe she has to play by the rules others follow. She managed to keep the worst of Catherine’s peccadilloes out of the gossip columns. A distant relation at the newspaper was her key to doing so. Lydia exerted undue influence over him.”
Not any longer. The Honorable Mr. Kensington has recently left for other opportunities.
Marissa allowed herself a small gleam of satisfaction.
“Piddling stuff.” Arabella pursed her lips. “Viscount Pendleton, respected member of Parliament and rising political star, is heavily in debt. That is what is important, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. I filed the survey Brendan found in Buxton and again in London shortly after I returned. Even Simon is not powerful enough to stop the court from freezing the proceeds of the mine until ownership is determined, which I may have suggested until the issue is resolved.”
“Oh, Auntie, you are terrible.”
Marissa shrugged. “It hardly matters what they agreed to when the information came to light. Simon, no doubt under his mother’s tutelage, has already stopped paying Brendan the lease and giving over half the profits, as he agreed to do. What else could I do but ensure no one has access until the courts decide? Allow my son to continue to be robbed of his birthright?”
“Pendleton has markers all over London. I assume you’ve already started to purchase them?”
It didn’t surprise Marissa her niece was well aware of Pendleton’s money woes. Nor that she had ascertained the first part of Marissa’s strategy. Rowan, Arabella’s husband, was involved in a variety of financial ventures and would have mentioned it, considering Simon had nearly married Rowan’s sister, Petra.
“A few.” Discretion at this part of her plan was required. Marissa didn’t want Lydia or Simon to catch wind of her intentions until it was far too late.
“Then allow me to handle the rest. Discreetly, of course. As you know, Rowan purchases the debts of others anonymously.”
Marissa was well aware. Rowan used debt as leverage often for property or a business he wished to purchase. Her nephew, Nick, often said his brother-in-law considered all of England nothing more than a large chessboard in which Rowan was determined to be three moves ahead of everyone else.
Henry would have approved of Rowan.
“One of Rowan’s solicitors can purchase Pendleton’s markers. No one would ever suspect you, respected widow of the ton, are behind such a thing, and we’ll keep it that way.”
Marissa laughed at that. “I am a respected widow. He’ll eventually suspect me, though I doubt he would consider me a threat. Simon doesn’t have a high opinion of a woman’s intellect.”
“It will prove his undoing. My point is that no one outside of our family knows what really happened to Reggie. Brendan never even had the lease agreement drawn up properly by a solicitor.”
“It would have raised questions. And he expected Simon to honor the bargain, which was naïve.”
“Money isn’t important to Brendan. You know that, Aunt. He has his rocks and fossils along with Petra. He’s perfectly content. And he gave his word. My cousin expects everyone to be as honorable as he is.”
Simon had not a principled bone in his body. Nor had his father, John. It was a pity John wasn’t still alive. Had he been, Marissa would have cheerfully shot him herself and left him in a hole to die.
The great Viscount Pendleton. Who knew all about his parent’s sins and did nothing. Treating Brendan with disdain while stealing from him. Marissa would enjoy destroying Simon’s brilliant political career and making him the most impoverished politician in Parliament. The shock of being poor might even kill Lydia. Or she’d become an even bigger sot than she already was.
I am remarkably bloodthirsty.
“Pendleton will need to marry an heiress if he wishes to dig himself out of debt,” Arabella mused. “One who is a paragon of virtue with not so much as a whiff of scandal attached to her skirts, and whose connections can help him politically. There’s a limited supply of such girls circulating about.” Arabella bit into another biscuit. “Of course, we cannot allow such a marriage to happen.”
“Absolutely not. Lydia needs to be reduced to someone’s poor relation living in a mud cottage somewhere.” Arabella would be an asset to Marissa’s plans. “If you are determined to help
