Unclaimed (Turner #2)(85)

“I know what you were like.”

“I know what I was like, too.” He hid his face in his hands. “I’ll thank you not to remind me. I was an irresponsible ass.” He let out a great sigh, and his shoulders slumped.

Mark felt a short-lived twinge of sympathy.

“I meant it,” Pruwett-Davies mumbled into his hands. “When I said you saved me. I’ll admit that I bought your book because I intended to laugh at it. But after the first chapter, I wasn’t laughing. You made me feel so ashamed—so ashamed to call myself a man, when I was basically worthless. I had nothing to do but spend my allowance. For months after I read it, I tried to devote myself to good works, just as you suggested. But nobody who did good wanted anything to do with me. It turns out I had made too many jokes.” Pruwett uncovered his face and straightened his shoulders. “So I took my mother’s maiden name and combined it with a Christian name from the Bible. I put a notice in the paper, too—the new name is legal, not merely a ruse. Peter Davies had nothing to do but to make a mockery of his life. But Jedidiah Pruwett—now he had a purpose. You gave me that purpose, but I’m not going to let you take it away. If this is a joke, I won’t be the butt of it.”

“I don’t want to make you one,” Mark responded. “But I don’t wish you to take out your…your excess zeal on anyone else.”

Pruwett readjusted his glasses carefully. “Perhaps the MCB has become too…too excessive. But what else am I to do with my time?”

Mark sat and laid a hand on the man’s shoulder. He’d not wanted to find himself in sympathy with the man. The MCB had made Mark’s life miserable. Peter Davies had been an annoyance. Yet he could not help but feel pity for the fellow.

“You know,” Mark said, “you did some very good work. How many members does the MCB have?”

“Several thousand.”

“And you…you wrote the bylaws, and arranged the meetings. You handled the details of printing the cards and the pamphlets, and arranging for all the different organizations. That’s quite a bit of responsibility.”

Pruwett nodded, hardly mollified. “I also organized the small group sessions, the entire system of reporting, really. Those help keep a man on track. I’d like to think that I’ve made a difference. I only wanted to have a chance, sir, and since nobody was giving me one, I had to make my own.”

Mark cocked his head and looked at the man, as an idea—a glorious idea, a wicked idea—insinuated itself into his head.

“Pruwett,” Mark said, “do you have a particular passion for chastity, or do you just want to spend your time doing something good?”

“I—sir—that is…” Pruwett put his hands in his lap. “Sir, I tried to get involved with something else. Anything else. Truly, I did. But nobody had any need of me.”

Mark smiled wolfishly. “Oh, Mr. Pruwett,” he said. “Believe you me—I have need of you. England has need of you. There is someone I should very much like you to meet, and he has a calling for you.”

BY THE TIME Jessica had gone back to her flat for the evening, Margaret had assured her that they’d announce the betrothal and perform the wedding ceremony in the next few days. Her head was spinning.

She’d never imagined that there could be so many good people in the world. She’d never believed they might be willing to help her. Even fate, cruel as it was, could not possibly take all of this bounty from her. She sat in her chair and let herself believe in not just warmth, but kindness, happiness…love.

A knock sounded at the door.

She ran to it eagerly. But when she opened it, it was not Mark come to see her that evening. It was Nigel Parret. Her first thought was that he’d come to congratulate her—and, of course, to inveigle an invitation to her wedding, so he could beat out his competitors. But no—even though every paper, Parret’s included, had discussed the special license Mark had obtained, her name had not yet been announced. And all similarly happy thoughts vanished as soon as she set eyes on his grim expression.

He handed her a letter. “This came to me. The writer thought that, as I’d published your story, I would know your direction.”

The envelope had been opened. She glanced at him suspiciously, and he shrugged. “Can you blame me?” he asked.

Her name was scrawled on the front. No, not her name—Jess Farleigh.

That name seemed like a dark, cold shadow. She scanned the text.

Jess—

No doubt you’re feeling quite proud of yourself right now. You defrauded me. If that license he obtained means what I think it means, you still managed to seduce Turner. You seem to think you can marry him and simply take your place in society at his side.

But I know who you are and what you’ve done. If you marry Sir Mark, I’ll make both your lives a misery. I hear the Duchess of Parford is increasing, too. I wonder how she’ll like you when she realizes her child will be shunned for your sake?

You’re never going to marry him. But if you’ll denounce him—if you’ll write an account saying that he accosted me in the park because he was fighting over a whore—I’ll at least agree not to prosecute you for fraudulently taking my money. I’ll meet you tomorrow morning at five sharp in Harford Square. Bring Sir Mark’s ring. I’ll need it.