Page 84 of His Sinful Touch

“He would certainly need money, then.”

“Exactly. Niles Dearborn’s father made a pile of money on some India project he invested in. Risky venture, but they found rubies, and he had a tenfold return. He made a few other good investments with the profit—it set the family up nicely. But Dearborn has his father’s love of risky projects, but a good deal less luck with them. He has lost a good bit over the years, and they live lavishly. I’d say he badly needs Miss Blair’s inheritance, which, by the by, was substantial.”

“She’s wealthy?”

“Not as wealthy as she was before Dearborn took over.”

“The Dearborns have been embezzling her money,” Alex said grimly.

“Not at first. Sabrina’s father had his money in good, solid funds—nothing flashy, but steady and reliable. But Dearborn decided to invest her money into his usual sort of thing, and he lost, oh, I’d say a quarter of it. He also reimbursed himself for various expenses, and those seem inordinately high for a girl living in seclusion in the country. Those are certainly questionable, but it’s the last two years that caught my attention. There’s been a steady reduction in funds, and the reason is unclear. In my opinion, it has the hallmarks of embezzlement. I have to dig more deeply to discover just exactly how he accomplished it.”

“Do it. I want to build a solid case against him. Not just Fairfield’s confession, but evidence of Dearborn’s malfeasance as her trustee, as well.”

“You intend to turn him in? It will mean scandal for Miss Blair.”

Alex sighed. “I know. My intent was to use it as leverage against him. Tell him that should he attempt to harm Sabrina in any way or even approach her, I’d lay charges against him. I think the threat of his ruin would be enough to stay his hand.” He frowned. “But if he has stolen a great deal from her, she should have the opportunity to recoup some of it.”

“She might prefer to stay silent and lose the money than reveal what happened. After all, it’s not as if she’s penniless. Miss Blair has a good estate in Somerset and that house in London—which, I might add, Dearborn is looking to sell. In available cash and monetary investments, she’s down by half, I’d say. She won’t need money after you marry her, anyway.”

“Marry her!” Alex stared at his twin. “Who said anything about marrying her?”

Con widened his eyes innocently. “Aren’t you? Surely you’re going to make an honest woman of her.”

Chapter Thirty

ALEX SURGED TO his feet, red tinging the sharp edge of his cheekbones. “The devil! Don’t say such a thing. How the hell did you—” He stopped abruptly as a smile spread across his brother’s face.

“Know?” Con said, finishing the sentence for him. “I didn’t until you jumped up as though I’d stabbed you.”

“Damn it, Con...you cannot say something like that.”

“For pity’s sake—I wouldn’t say anything to anyone but you. I’m not a dolt—or mannerless, no matter what Miss Holcutt would say.” He frowned. “Surely you don’t think you can’t trust me.”

“No. Of course not.” Alex sighed and flopped back down in his chair. “I’m sorry. I’d trust you with anything. It’s just that, well, it would ruin her reputation if it got out, if others suspected. Why did you suspect we had, um... Did I say something? Do something?”

“No. It’s a reasonable guess to make when a gentleman spends several days jaunting about the country with a woman, unchaperoned. Especially when he’s obviously mad for her and she for him.”

“I’m not in—” Alex met his twin’s flat stare and sighed. “Oh, of course I’m in love with her. There’s nothing I want more than to marry her.”

“Then why all this coyness?”

“I’m not being coy. But I can’t take advantage of her like that.”

“I’m not sure I see how proposing to a girl is taking advantage of her.”

“She’s young and naive.”

“Sabrina’s almost twenty-one. Most young ladies have been out for three years at that age. You’re only four years older. It isn’t as if you’re robbing the cradle.”

“But she hasn’t been out for three years. She’s led a quiet, sheltered life. She has no experience with flirtation, let alone falling in love.”

“She seemed to me to be the sort of girl who knows her own mind. I’ve seen her look at you. She’s as mad about you as you are about her.”

“I think it’s too easy to mistake gratitude for love. She was in a desperate situation, and I helped her. But what happens if suddenly she realizes that it wasn’t love?”

“You think she’s that fickle?”

“I think that I shouldn’t seize on the situation. I ought to stand back and let her have some time to come to grips with everything. Her life has been far too chaotic recently for her to make reasonable decisions. She needs to have some peace. She ought to be free to go to parties and dance and flirt.”