Sebastian looked at her. Evelyn entered. Sebastian had no answer.
"You are the one who stole from it." Nathaniel smiled. "You would ruin your own family name."
Sebastian stared at him.
"Then everything goes before the court. And if I refuse, leave the succession claim voluntarily and repay what was stolen."
"What choice?"
"I am giving you a choice." Nathaniel's voice was calm. "No, you would imprison me."
It was locked. Sebastian looked toward the door.
"We have signatures, witnesses, bank records, and testimony." Whitmore stepped forward.
"You have no proof these are mine." Sebastian's expression changed.
"Your attempt to obtain my father's papers. The fourth: your correspondence with the London publisher. The third: your payment to the clerk. The second: your forged account." Nathaniel placed the first document on the table.
"I am not trying to."
"You really must not frighten me." He laughed. "The end. What is this?"
Sebastian stopped. He found Nathaniel waiting with Whitmore, two witnesses, and a packet of documents. Sebastian arrived expecting a negotiation. The confrontation took place at Blackwood Hall.
"Very much."
"You enjoy saying that." He reached for her. "Quite so."
She smiled. "You're right."
He nodded. "But anger makes people careless."
"Yes, you have every right to be."
"Yes, you are angry. What do you mean?"
Nathaniel looked at her. "Then make sure you do not become like him. I want the entire truth."
"That sounds dangerous, because I want everything."
Evelyn asked why. Instead, he waited. Nathaniel could have destroyed him immediately. He had deliberately manipulated accounts, bribed employees, forged correspondence, and attempted to manufacture a legal dispute over Evelyn's marriage. Sebastian had not merely attempted to interfere with the succession.
The evidence finally became complete. Nathaniel had him followed. The clerk reported the offer. He approached a former Blackwood clerk and offered him money for confidential documents. Three weeks later, Sebastian made his mistake.
They decided not to respond. Nathaniel laughed. "It was the entire point."
"That is not the point. The horse was asleep in another field."
"The horse was valuable. You once threatened a man over a missing horse."
"I am not desperate from watching you."
"Where did you learn that?"
Nathaniel smiled. "Because desperate men make mistakes."
"Why?"
"I am."
"You sound pleased."
"Good."
Evelyn sat opposite him. "He is desperate."
Nathaniel read it twice. Sebastian was attempting to sell his remaining claim to the Blackwood succession to a distant relative. A letter arrived from London. That frightened Sebastian more than any legal document.
They had become a team. Their partnership was no longer an accident. She smiled. "That matters."
He looked at her. "You trusted me."
"I only signed. So do you."
"You deserve it."
"I don't need it. You should take the credit," one evening he told her. So the idea had been Evelyn's. He knew better.
Nathaniel received several letters praising his generosity. The villagers were grateful. The school expansion began. He signed again. She was right. He looked at the figures.
"Because I have made your estate more efficient."
"Why? You should be grateful."
"I should be offended." He laughed. "The person who signs the checks. Then what am I?"
"No." Evelyn smiled.
"I am beginning to think I am unnecessary." He leaned back. "Yes, you arranged this without me. Yes, you have already spoken to the builders." He looked at her.
She told him, "How much?"
"Yes, that will cost money."
"Yes, you want to add another classroom." Nathaniel read the plan.
Evelyn returned two hours later with supplies, three letters, and a new plan for the village school. Mrs. Mercer laughed. He walked away.