by Bree Wolf
Although Evelyn doubted Claudia’s last statement, she could not help but wonder how such a misunderstanding had occurred. “Did you speak to him at all?”
Claudia shook her head.
Camilla shrugged. “Perhaps he simply misunderstood. After all, he has always been very devoted to this fa–”
“Where is he now?” Evelyn interrupted as goose bumps rose on her arms.
“With Richard,” Camilla replied. “I asked him to read to him.” A frown came to her eyes. “Child, are you all right? You seem pale.”
Barely hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Evelyn felt herself transported back in time to the evening her husband had collapsed. Once she had settled on what to do, she had looked around for a composed face. Someone reliable and not lost in hysterics. Her eyes had fallen on Mr. Adams, who had been the only one looking at her with anything resembling composure. And so, she had asked him to fetch her the instruments she needed to save her husband’s life.
As expected, Mr. Adams had dashed away instantly. However, remembering the moment now, Evelyn recalled seeing him out of the corner of her eye as he slowed his steps once he had reached the door and strolled out as though he had all the time in the world.
And he had not returned.
In my haste, I tripped and hit my head. When I came to, you had already saved his lordship’s life.
But it had been a lie!
“It was him!” Evelyn gasped when all the pieces suddenly fell into place. “It was him!” Staring at Camilla, she could see the very moment her mother-in-law understood her meaning. Camilla’s eyes grew round with fear, and her face turned pale.
Spinning on her heel, Evelyn darted toward the open door. “Sebastian!” she called over her shoulder, not bothering to uphold etiquette. “It was Mr. Adams! He poisoned Richard!”
Evelyn barely had time to note the look of shock that came to his face before she was already out the door and started climbing the stairs two at a time. Dimly, exclamations of shock and disbelief from the others in the drawing room echoed to her ears. However, the only thing she did note with a conscious mind were Sebastian’s approaching footsteps as he raced to catch up with her.
The corridor that led to her husband’s chamber seemed endless as Evelyn urged her legs not to tire. Her sides hurt, and her lungs complained about the sudden exertion. But she pushed on until his door came in sight.
Hearing Sebastian’s breath right behind her, she all but threw herself against the door, pressing the handle down and pushing it open.
Inside, Evelyn found her worst nightmare realised.
Mr. Adams stood by the bed, an evil sneer on his face, self-satisfied and superior, and in his hand, he held the quill that had served as Richard’s lifeline.
Instantly, Evelyn’s eyes sprang to her husband, and her heart twisted painfully as she found him trapped in his bed, unable to flee, his hands wrapped around his throat, panic widening his eyes.
And yet, she took note of the hint of relief that came to his face when his eyes found her.
“You bastard!” Sebastian growled, his gaze fixed on Mr. Adams as he pushed past Evelyn with quick strides, Mr. Lambert following on his heel. Together, they tackled Mr. Adams to the ground and Sebastian’s fist landed on the man’s chin for good measure.
Ignoring the commotion, Evelyn rushed to Richard’s side, seeing the terror on his face. A terror she remembered only too well from the night of the poisoning.
Chapter Forty-Two – Loyal & Devoted
Richard’s chest tightened as panic swept through him. He gritted his teeth and held his breath, terrified to once more be denied the air he sought.
Then the door flew open, and all Richard could see were Evelyn’s warm brown eyes, reassuring and gentle. Instantly, his body began to relax its tight grip on his soul, and he felt an overwhelming need to be near her.
As though she had read his mind, Evelyn flew to his side, her calm eyes holding his as she scrambled onto the bed beside him. Her hands cupped the sides of his face, and for a brief moment, Richard closed his eyes at the comforting feel of her touch.
“Look at me, Richard!” Evelyn ordered, her voice strong and commanding. “Yes, good! You need to breathe!”
Terrified, Richard shook his head.
“Yes, you can!” she insisted. “Believe me, you can. The swelling is down enough. I meant to remove the quill in a day or two in any case. Breathe!”
Terror still lived in his heart, but as the need for air became too overwhelming, Richard had no choice. Parting his lips, he took a careful breath, expecting the familiar refusal that had almost cost him his life not long ago.
“Yes, good,” his wife whispered, a soft smile on her face as she looked at him, her thumbs gently brushing over his cheekbones.
Blinking, Richard realised that his chest was moving with each small breath he took. Slowly, his lungs filled with air and his body relaxed, pushing away the terror that had held him in its grip. Exhaustion washed over him, and closing his eyes, Richard slumped into his wife’s arms. “Evelyn,” he whispered, closing his eyes at the sound of his own voice, raspy and strangled, but there.
In the stillness of the room, footsteps echoed to Richard’s ears as well as the wonderful, life-affirming sound of others drawing breath. Lifting his head, he found his chamber crowded with his family and friends, many eyes misted with tears as they looked at him.
“Welcome back!” Sebastian exclaimed, a relieved grin on his face as he held Maxwell shoved against the far wall, Mr. Lambert beside him. When his gaze darted to the former footman, Sebastian’s face darkened. “We’ll lock him up for now until you decide what to do with him.” Then he nodded to Mr. Lambert, and the two of them removed the struggling man from the room.
After embracing him warmly, tears streaming down her face, his mother ushered everyone from the room. Before she joined them though, she turned to look at Evelyn, gently brushing a brown curl behind her ear. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice almost breaking. “Thank you.”
Evelyn nodded, and Richard belatedly realised that his wife’s face was streaked with tears as well. When the door finally closed, his wife fell into his arms and they sank back into the pillows, holding each other as the shock of the past minutes slowly wore off.
“How did you know?” Richard finally asked after a small eternity had passed, his voice still faint and scratchy.
Moving a little away, Evelyn lifted her head to look at him. “Your mother came back and said that Claudia had asked for her, but then your sister said that she hadn’t.” The words flew from her mouth in a near panic, and Richard got the distinct feeling that his wife had not quite recovered from the day’s events, either. “We were all confused, and your mother said it might have been a misunderstanding, but how could it have been if Claudia had never even spoken to Mr. Adams?” Closing her eyes, tears welled up once more and she shook her head. “And then I knew. I remembered seeing his face the night you were poisoned, and suddenly I realised that there was something odd in the way he looked at you, the way he left to fetch the quill. I just knew.” Sinking back into his arms, she snuggled closer. “I’m sorry it took me so long to realise it had been him. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Richard whispered back, wishing his voice did not sound so hoarse. “None of this was your fault. You saved my life.” He kissed the top of her head. “Twice. And I’ll always be grateful for that, and for you.” He swallowed. “I love you, Evelyn. I hope you know that.”
Gazing down at him through tear-filled eyes, a sob mixed with laughter as she lifted her head to say, “I love you as well, and I, too, was afraid that you did not know, that you did not believe me when I told you.” Smiling at him, she leaned down and kissed him gently.
Closing his arms more tightly around her, Richard wished they could stay here in this moment forever. Still, there were things to be done before their life together could finally begin.
“I cannot believe it was him,” Evelyn whisper
ed, her thoughts wandering in the same direction as his. “He always seemed so kind, so loyal and devoted.” Again, she raised her head to look at him. “Why do you suppose he did this?”
Richard shrugged. “I cannot say. He spoke to me, lashed out at me, but I cannot say that I understand what his grievance with me is.” He drew in a deep breath, relishing in the feeling. “I suppose there is only one way to find out. I need to speak to him.”
And he would. Once he was recovered, Richard would find out what had almost cost him his life. And then he would move on, never to look back.
***
After a lively debate with her husband a few days into the new year, which Evelyn had enjoyed more than she ought to have under the circumstances, he finally agreed to allow her in the room when he questioned his former footman. Still, she had to promise him to stay in the back for her own safety.
Evelyn smiled. Although a part of her was annoyed with his refusal to allow her to participate as an equal, she knew it came from a place of deepest affection as well as utter fear to see her harmed. After the ordeal Richard had been through, that was not surprising, and Evelyn decided to be lenient with her husband…for now.
Following Sebastian to a remoter part of the house–she had not called him Lord Weston since the day they had apprehended Mr. Adams–Evelyn took a deep breath, her arm tightening around her husband’s as they came to stand in front of the door behind which Mr. Adams sat waiting for them.
“Are you certain you wish to be here?” Sebastian asked, looking at her with doubt as he drew a key from his pocket and slid it into the lock.
Richard chuckled, “Save your breath, my friend. You will not change her mind.”
Enjoying the warmth in her husband’s tone, Evelyn straightened her shoulders as Sebastian swung open the door to reveal a dishevelled Mr. Adams tied to a chair, a purple bruise forming on his chin. The man’s cold gaze raked over them, hatred burning in his eyes. “To hell with all of you!”
As they stepped into the room, Evelyn marvelled at the change this young man had undergone. How had this happened? Had he truly deceived them from the beginning? Or had something happened to change him so? And what had brought him to Farnworth Manor in the first place?
Meeting the man’s gaze with an unflinching one of his own, Richard stepped forward, releasing Evelyn’s arm as he did so. His eyes grew cold and detached, more strongly resembling the man Evelyn had first met…before he had become her husband. “Why?” he demanded, his gaze fixed on Mr. Adams. “Why did you seek to kill me?”
After staring at Richard for the better part of a minute, Mr. Adams then shook his head, laughing, “You did not even see me coming. You’re blind and self-obsessed. You see nothing outside your own sphere.”
“Answer him!” Sebastian growled, his usually teasing grin and smiling eyes gone, replaced by a hardened man.
After spewing a few more hateful observations at Richard, Mr. Adams leaned back in his chair, arms still tied behind his back. “Do you truly not see it?” he asked, a hint of vulnerability suddenly in his voice. “There is a certain resemblance after all.”
Richard frowned as Evelyn’s mouth slowly fell open. Her eyes swept over the man’s face, and she took note of his piercing blue eyes and dark brown hair, thick and with a slight wave to it. All of a sudden she saw the resemblance she had not noticed before, and Evelyn wondered if she had taken to Mr. Adams so quickly because on some level he had reminded her of Richard.
“We’re cousins!” Mr. Adams all but spat the words at Richard’s feet. “My father was Vincent Davenport, Viscount Ashwood, and your title should have been mine.”
Richard’s eyes narrowed. “You’re the child he had with his mistress?”
Mr. Adams’ gaze grew dark. “Naturally, that is the first thing for you to point out. That I’m an illegitimate son, and as such worth nothing. Not to my father. Not to the rest of his family. Not to anyone.” Leaning forward, Mr. Adams strained against the rope that bound him to the chair, his eyes fixed on Richard alone. “My mother and I lived shunned by all those around us. She was no one, and neither was I. Certainly, my father provided for us, saw us fed and clothed, but that was as far as his care extended.” His jaw clenched. “My mother died in loneliness, forgotten by the rest of the world.”
“But why did you come here?” Richard asked, his voice even and detached, and yet, Evelyn could see the slight tension in his shoulders, revealing only too clearly that Mr. Adams’ tale did not leave him unaffected. “Even if you had succeeded in taking my life, you would not have inherited the title. Why bother?”
At that question, all the tension and anger seemed to leave Mr. Adams’ body as though evaporating into thin air. Slumping back in the chair, he closed his eyes briefly. “When I first came here,” he mumbled, his voice suddenly weak, “I did not plan for this. All I wanted was to get to know…my family.” His eyes opened and met Richard’s, a silent plea in them that almost broke Evelyn’s heart. If only he had simply come to them, spoken to them, shared his story. All of this could have been avoided!
Crossing his arms, Richard held his cousin’s gaze.
Mr. Adams sighed before his eyes dropped to the floor. “I was curious…and still hopeful,” he whispered, a hint of disillusionment in his voice, “and so I asked to be employed here as I did not wish to be sent away without a second glance.” His gaze returned to meet Richard’s. “That is what you would have done, isn’t it? If I had told you the truth, you would have sent me away because I am nothing to you and yours. Only a shameful reminder of your uncle’s indiscretion. You never would have acknowledged me as family, would you?”
Richard scoffed, “Family?” His lips pressed into a thin line. “Does family try to kill each other?” he demanded, his voice deathly quiet. “You have made it very clear that I’m not family to you, not the other way around.”
Mr. Adams glowered at him, his lips moving, his mouth opening and closing as though he could not decide how to retort. “It would seem neither is Miss Davenport,” he spat, his lips curling into a complacent smile.
Richard’s eyes hardened as he took a menacing step closer, grabbing Mr. Adams by the shirt and hauling him toward him, chair and all. “What did you do to my sister?”
Chapter Forty-Three – What Follows
As the blood boiled in his veins, Richard could barely breathe, and for a moment, an old panic grabbed a hold of him, squeezing his chest until he felt certain he would suffocate. Then he saw Evelyn take a step forward out of the corner of his eye, and that small glimpse freed him from the chains of his past.
Whispering a silent thank-you, he turned his attention back to Maxwell, his heart aching with concern for Claudia. “What did you do to her?” he demanded once more when his former footman remained silent, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“Not I,” Maxwell retorted, his lips curled into a snarl. “You!”
Confused, Richard stared at the man, then abruptly released him so he rocked back in his chair and almost toppled over backwards. “What on earth do you mean?”
“Like an inconvenience, you plan to rid yourself of her child,” Maxwell spat, his face contorted into a sneer, “like my father rid himself of me!”
As though he had taken a blow to his chest, Richard stared at the man before him. “I would never,” he forced out through clenched teeth. “I would never see my sister’s child as an inconvenience.”
“And yet, you cast it off because it threatens your well-structured life, because it’s a threat to your family’s reputation, to your standing in society,” his new-found cousin snarled. “Because it would be a disgrace to your family, just like I was.”
Gritting his teeth, Richard fought the feeling of nausea that washed over him as he could not help but wonder if Maxwell was right. Was he truly acting out of selfish motives? Did his sister believe he only wanted to rid the family of a disgrace? Did she think of him thus?
Movement caught his eye, and Richard found himself
staring at his wife as she stepped forward, her jaw set and her eyes intense as she came to stand beside him, her gaze directed at the man before them. “I am truly sorry for what you have been through, for all you have suffered,” she told Maxwell, her voice kind but strong. “I agree that society’s rules are limiting and restricting in many ways and were not made to promote happiness. I know it to be true from personal experience. As a woman, I am often seen as less capable in many ways.”
Maxwell swallowed, and his face softened as he nodded in agreement with her words.
“However,” Evelyn stated, her tone now sharper than before, “my husband did not make these rules. He is merely trying to find the best way to live with them.”
As Maxwell’s face darkened once more, Richard found himself staring at his wife, utterly taken aback that she would defend him so. Had she not accused him of not taking his sister’s feelings into account herself?
“I have tried again and again to think of a solution that would benefit all,” she admitted, a hint of resignation in her voice, “and I’m afraid that I could not. The world is the way it is, and no matter how much we wish we could, we cannot change it. Not now. Not for us. Change takes time.” Her face had a gentle note as she took a step toward his cousin. “Whether you are illegitimate or not should not matter, and yet, it does as do other things that should not. I agree that this ought to change, but you cannot blame my husband for the wrongs of the world. If you had truly wished to be a part of this family, then you should have offered trust and loyalty and come to us honestly and not with deceit. Lies never serve anyone as you now know.”
Pulling Evelyn back into his arms, Richard smiled at her. “You’re a wise woman,” he whispered, “and I am proud to call you my wife.”
***
Seated beside Claudia and her mother-in-law, Evelyn looked up at her husband, who stood with his friend Sebastian as well as Mr. Lambert, his brows drawn down in contemplation as they discussed what to do with Mr. Adams.