kind of circumstances?” Lucas asked.
“This gets into the area of strategy, and my wife has some thoughts about that.” Kirkland nodded toward Laurel.
“From what you said, you want to have legal custody of your son,” Laurel said. “For that, your reputation needs to be rehabilitated in the eyes of the world and the law. I doubt the divorce could be reversed even with proof that it was based on fraudulent evidence, and I assume you wouldn’t want it to be.”
Kendra shuddered. “I don’t even want to be in the same room with that man, much less married to him!”
Laurel nodded acknowledgment. “You told the women’s group that your first priority was to get your son back. Now that you have him, the new priority must be keeping him legally. That means restoring your reputation, which can only be done by publicly proving that Denshire not only lied, but orchestrated an elaborate fraud designed to vilify you.”
“That’s a good summary,” Kendra said. “Do you have any thoughts about how it might be done?”
“You said that Denshire is socially ambitious,” Laurel said. “Your female allies have a great deal of social power, and they’ve started what could be called a whispering campaign saying that he has behaved despicably and is not a desirable guest. He is getting fewer invitations, especially to more prestigious events, and he’s said to be outraged by this.”
“I approve of anything that annoys him,” Kendra said, “but can this be used to help me to my goals?”
“Perhaps. The strategy I have in mind is unpredictable, but it might help your reputation and your chances of getting custody of your son. We can arrange a very exclusive event, perhaps a ball or soiree hosted by two duchesses, and send invitations to Denshire and the three friends who testified to your alleged wanton behavior,” Laurel explained.
“I’m sure he’d love that,” Kendra agreed. “Then what?”
“Once he’s there, we confront him with his sins. Perhaps the woman who took your place will testify and confront the men who lay with her, making it clear that it was she, not you. If we can find your missing maid, she can attest that you were drugged that night and she herself was threatened.” Laurel smiled wickedly. “And among the other guests will be a high-ranking cleric or two. Perhaps even the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Kendra gasped. “You can arrange all that?”
“It will be a joint effort, but yes, I believe it could be done,” Laurel assured her. “Mariah, the Duchess of Ashton, would host the event at Ashton House, which is a very fine venue for entertaining. Co-hostess would be the dowager Duchess of Charente, one of the most highly respected women in society and Lady Julia’s grandmother. Lady Julia’s brother is the young and rather reclusive Duke of Castleton, and she might be able to lure him to attend.”
“What about the Archbishop of Canterbury?” Kendra asked faintly.
Laurel chuckled. “He’s some kind of cousin to Lady Julia and very fond of her. If he’s unavailable, I’m sure we can find another leading cleric or two. The clerics would be useful in clearing your reputation, because if influential members of the Church believe you were unjustly accused, most of the rest of society will agree. This would help you retain custody of Christopher.”
“I surely hope so!” Kendra considered. “Much of Denshire’s rage is because he wants the money left to me in trust by my grandfather. He’s made several unsuccessful legal attempts to claim the funds and my lawyers could attest to that. Would having one of my lawyers attend be useful? It would prove how low Denshire’s motives are.”
“That would surely be helpful,” Kirkland agreed.
Kendra looked over to Lucas. “What do you think?”
“It would certainly be an interesting evening for anyone whose life doesn’t weigh in the balance!” His brows furrowed. “People are unpredictable, and Denshire more than most. I don’t think I mentioned that he seems to have advanced syphilis?”
Kirkland gave a low whistle. “That goes a long way to explaining his unreasonable behavior.”
“It doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Rather the opposite.” Lucas returned Kendra’s glance. “Such an event might help your cause and is unlikely to make your situation worse. Given the elaborate fraud Denshire created to destroy you and your marriage, perhaps it’s appropriate to create an equally elaborate trap to expose his crimes.”
“How long do you think it will take to arrange the event?” Kendra asked.
Laurel considered. “Two to three weeks? That would fall at the height of the season