Her Mother Forced Her to Marry a Stranger… But Her “Poor” Husband Hid a Shocking Secret
Chapter 3
Clara demanded the truth.
Samuel told her only part of it.
Edmund Whitmore had not died poor.
He had possessed considerable wealth.
But before his death, he had discovered that several powerful merchants were stealing money from a charitable trust he had established for widows, farmers, and injured laborers.
The trust controlled land, grain warehouses, shipping contracts, and funds.
Someone wanted control of it.
Someone had forged documents.
Someone had manipulated the accounts.
And someone had convinced Eleanor that the only way to protect Clara was to make the girl disappear from society.
“Why marry me?” Clara asked.
Samuel looked at the floor.
“Because your father instructed me to protect you.”
“Protect me from whom?”
He didn’t answer.
Clara slammed her hand against the table.
“I am your wife now. I deserve the truth.”
Samuel’s jaw tightened.
“You deserve more than the truth.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the people who destroyed your father’s life believe you know nothing.”
“And you?”
“I believe you know nothing.”
Clara stared.
“Then why am I in danger?”
“Because you’re his daughter.”
He walked toward the chest.
Samuel opened it.
Inside were documents bearing the seal of the Bellford Trust.
Clara recognized the handwriting.
Her father’s.
“He left instructions,” Samuel said. “If the trust were ever threatened, the legal heir was to be protected until she reached adulthood.”
Clara swallowed.
“I am the heir?”
Samuel nodded.
“But I was told my father left debts.”
“He did.”
“Then why are there records showing money?”
“Because the debts were fabricated.”
Clara looked at him.
“By whom?”
Samuel hesitated.
“Your mother’s brother.”
“Uncle Richard?”
“Yes.”
Clara felt sick.
Richard had always been kind to her.
He had brought gifts at Christmas.
He had attended her father’s funeral.
He had told Clara that her father had been reckless.
Now she wondered whether every comforting word had been a lie.
Samuel handed her a ledger.
“Your father discovered Richard had been transferring trust funds into private accounts.”
Clara read the entries.
Her father’s signature appeared beside several complaints.
Then she saw another name.
Lord Henry Ashcombe.
One of the most influential landowners in the region.
“He was involved?”
Samuel nodded.
“And there are others.”
“Who?”
“Men powerful enough to destroy anyone who speaks.”
Clara looked up.
“Then why haven’t you been destroyed?”
Samuel gave her a strange smile.
“Because they think I am poor.”
Clara stared at him.
He turned toward the window.
“That misunderstanding is the only reason I am still alive.”
