Westminster’s jaw flapped as he struggled to find something to say in reply.
Ellen’s grin widened. “Or would you prefer that I remain the silent, anonymous partner?”
Westminster let out a heavy breath. “If you would not mind, Miss Garrett.”
Ellen took pity on him, nodding respectfully. “I do not mind at all, Your Grace. In truth, I wish to give these shares to my soon-to-be husband as a wedding gift. As I understand it, the profits would go a long way to restoring the Rathborne-Paxton family fortune.”
“Ellen,” Joseph said. Just her name was an expression of surprise and love and gratitude.
“Are you certain you wish to do this, Miss Garrett?” Lord Cathraiche said, moving toward her, Prince Petrus following. “It is not required of you. We…I…when I entreated my brothers to marry women of good fortune so that we might rescue our family, I did not account for the feelings of the women who would become part of our family. I see now that it was callous and cruel of me to pass our burdens on to women who had no part in placing them all on our shoulders.”
“But as I understand it, Lord Cathraiche, it was not your fault or that of Joseph or your other brothers that your father ruined you all in the manner that he did,” Ellen said. “My only complaint against you is the way you have discounted and ignored Joseph for so long.” She inched closer to Joseph, sliding her arm through his and smiling at him. “He is a wonderful man.”
Joseph smiled modestly, even more so when Mr. Long added, “He is indeed. And if he doesn’t mind being in competition with his wife—in the arena of business, that is—I would be quite interested in hiring him to work for me in some capacity.”
Joseph’s eyes went wide. “Employment? You want me to take employment with you?”
Westminster cleared his throat and smiled. “Contrary to the opinions of society, it is not a bad thing for a gentleman to engage in business. How do you think I became the wealthiest man in England?”
“I suppose so, Your Grace,” Joseph said with a smile. He turned to Mr. Long. “I am very interested in whatever you might propose. But I cannot make a decision tonight. As I said before, I believe it would be best if I returned Miss Garrett to her sister’s home. The hour is late, and there may already be rumors about what has happened here this evening.”
“I’m certain there are rumors aplenty,” Westminster said, gesturing for his guests to head into the hall. “But do not concern yourselves with them. I will squelch any of them that might prove harmful to a lady’s reputation…and I will most certainly enhance the ones that make me appear as a hero.”
He was joking, and fortunately, Ellen had reached a point of confidence in the outcome of the evening that allowed her to appreciate the joke. She laughed with Westminster and the other men as they made their way to the front hallway, where several servants rushed to fetch their coats.
Once carriages were brought around to take the guests home, Ellen found herself not alone with Joseph, as she wished to be, but in close quarters with Lord Cathraiche and Prince Petrus as well.
“Do not worry, Miss Garrett,” Lord Cathraiche said. “I have instructed the driver to take us to your sister’s house first so that my brother can return you.”
The statement reminded Ellen of the other momentous event of the evening. “Which brother?” she asked, glancing to Prince Petrus. “As I understand it, you have more than one present.”
“Yes, what the devil is going on with that?” Joseph asked, studying the prince with astonishment.
Prince Petrus nodded and looked sheepish for a moment. “I must admit to feeling awkward about the entire situation, even though it is not one of my making. The story as it was told at the card table is true. My mother was involved in a passionate affair with your father,” he glanced to Joseph and then Lord Cathraiche, “and I am the result.”
“It sounded to me as though Montrose forced her into it,” Ellen said quietly, not certain how much of the past Prince Petrus wanted to dredge up.
The prince sighed. “My mother was not yet twenty at the time. She was infatuated with your father, whom she believed to be charming and honest. She had her reservations, but Montrose convinced her that Lord Vegas was true. After Lord Vegas had her, he lost interest in her. My mother was heartbroken and returned to Aegiria, where she soon learned she was with child.”
“How awful,” Ellen said, feeling sorry for the woman she’d never met.
The prince shrugged. “She knew she had made a mistake. When an old friend of hers, a duke, offered for her hand, she accepted. I was raised as the duke’s son, and I truly do think of the man as my father. And as per the laws of Aegiria, I was still styled a prince and raised within the royal family. Very few people know of my true parentage. I came to England to learn about the other part of my family, though, and I am quite glad I did.”
“You are family,” Lord Cathraiche insisted. “And I do hope that you will remain in England for a while longer so that we may all be better acquainted. Perhaps we could all spend Christmas together.”
“I would like that,” Prince Petrus said.
Ellen found the entire thing to be quite sweet, when all was said and done. She was grateful when the carriage pulled to a stop in front of Lenore and Phineas’s house, though. Joseph opened the door and stepped down so that he could hand her down.
“Continue on without me,” he said once he and Ellen both stood in the street. “I…I need to explain the evening to Mr. and Mrs. Mercer. I’ll be home soon.”
Lord Cathraiche fixed Joseph with a look that said he didn’t believe for a moment that Joseph’s reasons for sending him on were innocent. Ellen didn’t believe it either.
“Alright, then,” Lord Cathraiche sighed, then knocked the side of the carriage and called to the driver. “Drive on!”
He closed the carriage door, and moments later, the carriage drove off.
“You do realize that Phineas and Lenore are likely already asleep,” Ellen said with a grin as they walked up to the front door, where poor Polly had apparently been chosen to stay up and let them in again.