CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND ELEVEN – UNCOVERING DECEPTIONS

Determined to uncover the truth, Charlotte set out on her own investigation into Richard and Eliza's past. She started by discreetly questioning the manor staff who had been there during Richard's rumored prior engagement. Mrs. Pearson, the crusty old housekeeper, was happy to gossip over a cup of tea. "Oh that whole affair was a dreadful mess, miss. Lady Eliza Montgomery, she was the daughter of some baron up north. Came from an old moneyed family, very well-connected." "And her engagement to Mr. Griffith?" Charlotte prompted. "What happened there?" Mrs. Pearson tutted and shook her head. "Well, that's the scandal of it. They were betrothed for near a year by all accounts. Then, out of the blue, Master Richard called the whole thing off. No reasons given, just sent the poor girl packing in disgrace." "That doesn't sound like Richard at all," Charlotte murmured. The Richard she knew was kind and honorable to a fault. "Happens more than you'd think with the gentry, miss," Mrs. Pear