Godfrey asked, “Who was the buyer?”
“A Count Wurtzberg. I never met him. The transaction—the exchange of the original painting for the money—was handled by Hendall.”
Godfrey knew of Wurtzberg, more than enough to know Masterton had spoken the truth. His heart sank as all prospect of reclaiming the Albertinelli vanished.
He hid his disappointment and, after a second of reviewing all that had been said, went on, “I believe you owe the Hinckleys the truth of what you had planned for them and Hinckley Hall. We understand your offer to marry Ellie was merely the first step in your plan.”
He’d expected some resistance, but it seemed that, in moving on to concoct a new plan, Masterton grew dismissive of his previous failed efforts. The devil shrugged. “It was a fairly obvious ploy. If I could get Ellie to agree to marry me—and she would have if the family’s straits grew dire enough that she felt compelled to marry to save the Hall—I would have been in a position to influence Harry and his thinking. Matthew”—Masterton glanced briefly at his cousin, who had believed in his inherent goodness for so long—“is older than he looks. He would have died soon enough. It didn’t really matter when, because once I’d married Ellie, any moneylender worth his salt would have understood my plan and waited, knowing they’d eventually get paid.”
Before Harry could erupt, Godfrey asked, “How did you think to persuade Harry to sell the Hall?”
Masterton sniffed. “That would have been the easy part—he’s not even twenty-one. If I’d married Ellie in the next few years, I would have had years to work on Harry, to make him trust me and believe all I told him. Then, whenever Harry inherited, I would have worked on him to sell the place.” Masterton glanced up at the ornate ceiling. “It would have worked, too.”
“Sadly, as to that”—Godfrey leveled a stern look at Harry, who appeared to be barely succeeding in keeping his mouth shut—“we will never know.”
Still gazing at the ceiling and transparently oblivious to anyone’s feelings but his own, Masterton continued, “Once Harry sold up, I would have taken the money and not looked back. I would have been set for life.”
His tone suggested that in his imagination, he was viewing a gilded future that had unfortunately slipped from his grasp.
His overweening self-centeredness silenced them all.
Godfrey had followed his instincts in asking Masterton for explanations regarding the Albertinelli and his more recent larger plan. Glancing at the Hinckleys’ faces, and at Jeffers’s, Godfrey realized Masterton’s answers had been important. The family had—each of them—extended a degree of trust to the man, and he had comprehensively betrayed them. None of the Hinckleys, and certainly not Jeffers or Godfrey himself, would feel a shred of regret over Masterton’s banishment.
Godfrey refocused on Masterton. “That, I believe, is all we need to know, except for our final question—do you agree to leave England and never return? Or would you rather we convey you directly to Newgate?” When Masterton brought his gaze to Godfrey’s face, he arched his brows. “Your choice.”
Masterton huffed out a strangled laugh and spat, “Some choice.” As if realizing his future wasn’t yet settled, he quickly added, “I’ll go to Rotterdam.”
Godfrey hadn’t expected anything else. He signaled to Kemp. “Please return him to the room beside the scullery.”
Chapter 15
The instant the door shut behind Masterton, Jeffers cleared his throat and said, “As I’ll be leaving in the morning myself, I would like to offer to join your men in escorting Masterton to Hull. I know the docks there and will happily purchase his ticket and watch until the ferry is well out to sea with him on it.” Jeffers shook his head. “Meeting Masterton has been an education—one that will stand me in good stead in assessing future debtors.”
Godfrey smiled appreciatively, as did Ellie.
Mr. Hinckley inclined his head. “Thank you, Mr. Jeffers. If it won’t inconvenience you overmuch, I would be relieved to know there was someone with my men who understood the depths of Masterton’s duplicity.”
“Indeed. I doubt he’ll even attempt to cozen me.” Jeffers glanced at the Hinckleys—Harry and Maggie as well. “I would also like to assure you that my partner and I will not be pursuing Masterton’s debt. We were prepared to deem it a write-off from the first, and so we shall. We wouldn’t have pursued him in the first place if we’d had any inkling he would resort to criminal acts to get the funds.” Jeffers looked at Godfrey. “I gather you intend to retrieve the painting from that count?”
Godfrey hesitated, but he couldn’t not speak. “Sadly, that was a piece of bad news.” He met Mr. Hinckley’s eyes. “Count Wurtzberg is something of an infamous figure in the art world—he’s an avid, avaricious collector with no conscience whatsoever. As he also has strong ties to the Austrian royal family, it’s proved difficult to pursue the many works that are suspected to have vanished into his private collection. Essentially, within Austria, the count is above the law.”
Ellie’s fingers gripped his, and she swiveled to face him. “So we won’t be able to reclaim the Albertinelli?”
He faintly grimaced and squeezed her fingers back. “I’ll certainly look into it and see what can be done, but”—he glanced at the other Hinckleys, all now distinctly sober—“I don’t want to get your hopes up.”
Mr. Hinckley sighed. “What will be, will be.” He glanced at his children. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
With a nod to himself, Mr. Hinckley returned his attention to Jeffers. “Mr. Jeffers, I and my family are indebted to you for your assistance throughout this sorry business, and I regret that you and your partner, through no fault of yours, have become embroiled in my cousin’s schemes. While I appreciate your offer to waive Masterton’s debt, I’m afraid we cannot accept it—for good or ill, Masterton was a member of this family, and leaving such a debt unpaid would be a stain on the family’s honor. I believe you said the sum involved was just over one thousand pounds. I will hold myself responsible for repaying it, if you and Mr. Thornton will let me know the full sum.”
Jeffers opened his mouth, then closed it. He glanced at Ellie, Harry, and Maggie, but their serious expressions gave him no encouragement to argue. Nevertheless, he ventured, “That’s very kind of you, sir, but it’s really not necessary.”
Mr. Hinckley widened his eyes. “But surely your firm requires capital to continue to operate as a legitimate and respectable bank?”
Jeffers shifted. “Well, yes, obviously we would prefer to get the funds in, but in this particular instance, we’ll manage.”
Godfrey decided he quite liked Jeffers.
Mr. Hinckley shook his head. “Young man, you must see that I cannot countenance leaving such a debt unpaid.”
Godfrey wasn’t surprised by Mr. Hinckley’s stance; indeed, he’d expected it. “If I might make another suggestion?”
When Jeffers and the Hinckleys looked his way, he directed his query to all four Hinckleys. “Do you value the ugly cherub you use as a doorstop in the dining room?” When they all blinked, he clarified, “Are you fond of it? Do you have any sentimental attachment to it? Does it mean anything or represent anything important to you?”