Cruel Shame (Knights of Templar Academy #3) - Sofia Daniel Page 0,50
room for a long walk. I had to stay silent and let her rant because she knows Kendrick really well.”
I placed a hand on his chest. “She said something incriminating?”
The smile in his eyes dimmed. “She resented her mother for tricking Myra into nearly killing you with a real gun.”
Now it was my turn to stare at the ceiling. I’d hated Myra Highmore since she poured gazpacho soup down my back and made that racist slur against Gideon, but she was only a stupid cow who needed a hard punch in the face. She deserved what she got for helping Elizabeth push cocaine to little kids, but that whole business with the gun was horrendous.
Not that I would beg the police to drop the charges of attempted murder. I could have died on Saturday or ended up maimed for life. It was just so shitty of Lady Liddell to strike out against Myra and me to preserve her daughter’s reputation and fortune.
Maxwell placed a hand on my belly. “When Mother called us into the drawing room, everybody wanted to know if I would consent to the engagement, and I said no.”
“I’ll bet they didn’t like that.”
He raised a shoulder. “It’s what Ken would have wanted. No title is worth being saddled with a lunatic.”
“Not to mention that she doesn’t even like men,” I muttered.
He snorted. “Camden cornered me later, saying the Nevis family was interested in Elizabeth’s hand, as were a few prominent families around Scotland. I wished them good luck.”
I stared at Maxwell out of the corner of my eye. “That still doesn’t explain the stolen DNA?”
His face broke out into a grin. He shuffled onto his back and arranged us so I lay on my side, tucked under his arm. “Mother let the Liddells stay overnight so I could sleep on my decision and give them an answer. So, at breakfast, I snuck into the guest rooms and took each person’s toothbrush.”
“Is that enough?” I splayed my palm in the center of his chest.
He hummed and nodded. “According to the website I read, you can take DNA from cigarettes, chewing gum, cutlery, and even used tissues. But it’s illegal and carries a three-year sentence.”
I shook my head. “If we use them, the Liddells—”
“We’re going to get Elizabeth to do it.”
“How?”
“She sat with me on the journey back, pleading for understanding. Myra is about to expose their relationship to the media. If she gets engaged to someone who she hasn’t been photographed with in public, everyone’s going to know it’s a sham. She’s desperate.”
“Which explains why she needs Kendrick.”
“Exactly.”
I pulled myself up to sit and went through everything I’d just learned. Elizabeth was more loyal to herself than to her family and was desperate to hide any trace of her relationships with other girls. Because Myra was going on the offensive with facts, Elizabeth and her family were desperate to secure a future marriage with a prominent family.
“That still doesn’t explain how Elizabeth will send in stolen DNA samples,” I said.
“We’re going to let her think they’re yours.”
“Okay?” My brows drew together. This was turning out to be the most convoluted plan. Since their last scheme ended with me arrested, and would have gotten me jailed if Elizabeth hadn’t swapped real cocaine for flour, I wasn’t about to say it wouldn’t work.
“Once we steal a sample from Father Neapolitan, we’ll prove a bunch of things.” He held up a finger and counted off the points. “One, that he’s a Liddell, two that he’s your father, and three, that you’re entitled to a slice of that fortune.”
Unease settled in my belly. In this part of the world, people seemed more aware of inheritance and succession in a way that reminded me a little of Billy Hancock. I suppose that’s how wealth stayed in a family for generations, but benefitting from a person’s death or claiming money I seemed wrong.
Maxwell cupped my cheek. “What’s on your mind?”
I cringed as I said the words. In a few simple steps, the Liddells had destroyed Mr. Burgh’s career, his reputation, and his life. Why the hell was I baulking about lashing out at them the only place it would hurt?
He exhaled a long breath. It was part exasperation and part are-you-fucking-kidding-me?
“Sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “They don’t give a shit about playing dirty, and neither should I.”
“We’ll let her know we’ve gathered DNA samples of Mr. Burgh and every man you think might be your father, just to prove the Liddells