Duke of Scandal by Adele Ashworth

the Church. And remember, witnesses always count.”
    â€œBut we must keep in mind,” Sir Walter said, turning back to consider them, “that actors and even witnesses can be purchased. If she is married to Edmund, even if only in the eyes of the Church, her money is his. He’s not then guilty of anything but abandonment.”
    Sam groaned, once more rubbing his eyes. “Which would leave her my responsibility.”
    Sir Walter let out a long, loud breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Probably. At least until an annulment is secured. Does she have family?”
    Sam shook his head. “I’ve no idea. But I suppose the bright side is that she has no children from the union.”
    â€œYou can’t be sure of that,” Colin remarked softly.
    Sam thought about that for a moment. Then, turning away from the desk, he strode toward the fireplace, his gaze falling on the burning embers. “I just don’t think so. She never mentioned a child, which would be the ultimate argument for my help, financial or otherwise.” He shook his head minutely and clasped his hands behind his back. “I don’t know how long they were married before he allegedly left, but if she had a child, I think she’d tell me for nothing more than just the sympathy.” He paused, then added, “And she’s also very…trim.”
    â€œTrim,” Colin repeated almost pensively. “And spectacularly shapely, I should add.”
    Sam ignored that, closing his eyes briefly to chastise himself. He shouldn’t have mentioned her figure. Her appearance was irrelevant as far as he was concerned. Or at least it should be.
    With a deep inhale, he turned to face his friends once more, with stately bearing, his expression grave. “As I see it, gentlemen,” he speculated, “there are two possibilities here. She’s either telling the truth—as far as she knows it—and my brother married her under false pretenses and absconded with her…perfume fortune. Or she’s lying and has come here to extort part of my fortune. Now, if she’s actually telling the truth, and if Edmund actually took her money, they are either married or they are not. Either way, if she is being truthful about Edmund, then she probably believes they are. The only other scenario is that she and Edmund are in this together, in which case I could become the ultimate fool.” Though the thought made him almost physically ill, he also noted that he lacked any real surprise. Edmund’s manipulations had stopped shocking him years ago.
    Sir Walter cleared his throat. “Well, to err on the side of caution is the prudent thing to do, of course. Until you understand the situation better, get to know her better, you can’t trust anything more than what she tells you, and only take that at face value.”
    Sam nodded in complete agreement. The last thing he intended to do as far as Lady Olivia was concerned was to show her his hand, regardless of whether he bluffed.
    â€œWant me to make a copy of the marriage document?” Colin offered, interrupting his thoughts.
    â€œCan you do it quickly?” he asked, walking toward the two men again.
    Colin lifted the forgery and gazed at it once more, front and back. “I suppose I can have a good copy done for you in a day or two.”
    â€œThat will do,” Sam said with appreciation. “I’ll invite her to dinner or some such thing in a few days. That should give her time to wonder what I’m doing about her announcement.”
    â€œYou don’t trust her at all, do you,” Colin stated rather than asked.
    â€œNot for a minute,” he returned at once, “and for other reasons besides the fact that she’s a Frenchwoman.” Pacing in front of the desk, he noted for the first time that Colin had his study walls recently papered in a god-awful shade of brown. Not that it mattered. “Think of