“I will look for the truth,” Hero said. “But you are not to approach Denhallow.”
“But I must!” Anthony cried.
“Haven’t you done enough damage?” Lore asked in a cool tone. “Did you see his face?”
Anthony had. The gruesome image would never leave his memory. “I… he attacked me. What was I to do?”
Asher spoke. “I, for one, would like to know what Denhallow had to say.”
Anthony stared at the other duke in the room and tried to read Asher’s expression, read his thoughts, but couldn’t.
“Denhallow said he recalled taking dinner at Merrill Inn, just days before the Reddington Ball, when he suddenly found himself unable to keep his eyes opened. When he awoke, he was in a cold and damp basement, chained to the wall,” Lore replied.
Anthony narrowed his eyes in thought and a chill snaked its way into his bones. “Chained?”
“He was drugged nightly,” Hero said. “He said a masked individual visited him on occasion, asking him strange questions about his life, about his upbringing in a proper home.”
Lore asked, “Were the questions supposed to make you feel better about your own terrible household?”
Anthony shook his head. “It could not have been me. I could not have traveled to Stevenage and then back to London every night.” He felt a great need for these men to understand. He looked around, meeting their eyes. “It is impossible.”
Asher continued to stare at him.
Lore said, “He said it was a woman who brought him his drugged meals. The man himself did not visit every night. Denhallow was so heavily medicated that he can neither remember times nor dates.”
“How convenient,” Anthony drawled. His hands fisted. Even with Denhallow’s bloodied face in his mind, he was ready to go another round with the madman. This was all unfair.
“He said you didn’t do the questioning yourself,” Hero said as he moved to stand by Asher. “He said you had someone else do it, but you began to make it clear close to the end that you’d hired him, that it had been your plan all along.”
“I’m innocent. Someone is out to get me.” Anthony hated that he even had to beg these men for their understanding. He understood that more than his freedom hung in the balance. Life with Valiant was at stake. And where was she?
“I’ve plenty of enemies,” Anthony said.
“And plenty of victims,” Lore said. “Do not deny it. You killed your own father. I can’t believe I allowed Valiant anywhere near you.”
“It was an accident,” Anthony said. “I hadn’t meant to actually hit him. He moved and… he bled out faster than anyone could aid him.” That night still tortured him. He’d hated his father. He’d hated him, but he hadn’t meant to put the man’s blood on his hands.
He hadn’t meant to become a monster like him.
“At least Denhallow survived,” Lore said. “It’s unfortunate that he’ll never be the same.”
Anthony knew it not the time to mention that Denhallow had hardly been a man worth caring for to start with. Who was he to judge? “It’s unfortunate what has happened to him,” Anthony said calmly. “Though I never cared for him, I would not have wished this upon him.”
“Denhallow said he wasn’t tortured… until two nights ago,” Lore said.
Hero said, “He said his keeper produced a blade and cut into his face.”
Asher leaned forward on his desk. “I recall a blade being on display in your office, and I heard a rumor that you stabbed Lord Rosamund the other day.”
“He called your sister a whore,” Anthony said. “I’d do it again if given the chance.”
Something flashed in Hero’s eyes, but it wasn’t enough to guess at his emotions.
Lore spoke again. “Tonight, the drugs wore off faster than they ever had before. When he came to, he found his chains were loose enough to slip out. He was surprised to find himself in London.”
“London?” That was new information. “He was here this whole time?”
“He isn’t sure,” Hero said. “He’d been on opium for weeks. His mind… it is still unstable.”
Another convenience on the other man’s behalf.
Lore said, “He covered up his face and started for your home, but at hearing two women gossip about a party in your honor at this residence, he came here instead.”
And there they were.
Anthony took the silence to think. “I must speak to Denhallow. I need to know more about the man who kept him and also the woman who’d been feeding him.”
“You’ll not get the chance.” Asher stood and went to the door. When he opened it, two men came in and Anthony recognized their uniforms as belonging to runners.
Instinct told him to fight, but then Anthony calmed himself and allowed them to escort him out. He was a duke. He’d get a fair trial.
Though even Anthony knew his luck was wearing thin. How many times would he be found innocent before he found himself hanging from the noose?
He turned to the Curbain brothers before he departed and said, “I’m innocent. Please tell Lady Beaumont—”
“We’ll tell her whatever needs to be said,” Lore said.
It angered him to be addressed by the younger untitled gentleman, but Anthony let it go and left the house and prepared himself to face the magistrate.
∫ ∫ ∫
3 8
When the door closed, Asher asked, “What do you think?”
“He’s right.” Hero took a seat across from his brother. “Something isn’t right about this entire situation.”
Lore took the chair by the fire that was usually reserved for Everly when she was there. “And it was far too convenient a time for Denhallow’s chains to be loose.”
The brothers had already decided before their meeting with Anthony that they would believe his innocence until proven guilty.
But that didn’t mean that Anthony needed to know that. They’d decided to push him and see if he would crack under pressure. He had but had said nothing to make them believe him guilty.
Lore had decided to play the aggressor since they’d all agreed that Anthony, or any duke for that matter, would not take kindly to being addressed by a man of lower rank.
Asher turned to Hero. “What happens now?”
“I’ll speak to Denhallow in the morning,” Hero said. “Hopefully, he will be lucid enough to recall where the basement was that he was being held in.”
Lore sighed and shook his head. “What sort of animal carves into another man’s face?”
“One who is jealous,” Asher said. Growing up with three younger siblings had made it easy for him to understand what drove people to their actions. “Either the man who cut him is hideous and wished Denhallow to look the same or was jealous about another part of Denhallow’s life. The questions about his upbringing make me think the latter.”
“You think we’re dealing with someone poor?” Lore asked.
“Not likely,” Hero said. “The man would have had to be in possession of his own transportation to move Denhallow from Stevenage to London without alerting anyone during the trip. Also, he paid a woman to feed him.”
Lore leaned back in his chair and asked softly, “Do you think the other lords are dead?”
Asher’s heart constricted at the thought. “Let us not rush to any conclusions and deal with the matter at hand.”
“Then who would do this to him?” Lore leaned forward. “To Denhallow?”
“Denhallow was likely a pawn,” Hero said. “This is about Anthony.”
“And I, for one, don’t see Anthony hiring anyone to do a bloody deed for him,” Asher said.
“I agree,” Hero chimed in. “Whether it be blade or gun, Cartelle fights fair. He’d not have drugged or chained an adversary.” A second later, he said, “I think he likes the challenge. He’d have made a terrible but very efficient soldier.”
The thought didn’t warm Asher in the least. He recalled the anger in Anthony’s gaze when he me
ntioned Rosamund calling his sister a whore.
The pain Rosamund had suffered wasn’t enough.
Asher recalled how he’d held the future of another lord in his own hands when Everly had been wrongly accused of theft just earlier that year.
He’d do no less for his sister.
He planned to see to Rosamund’s ruin, but he put that aside for the moment.
Was Cartelle a good match for his sister? He wasn’t certain. Only Valiant would be, but he could appreciate a man who would fight to protect her.
He hadn’t been prepared to hear that Anthony’s father’s death had been an accident. That was not common knowledge.
“Valiant will wish to see him,” Hero said. “She vowed she wouldn’t until I told her it was all right.”
“Keep them apart for now,” Asher said. “You know how she is. She knows no limits when it comes to those she loves.” Neither did their wives for that matter. Controlling them—or attempting to keep them out of this—would be another thing.
And there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Valiant loved the Duke of Cartelle.
Hero closed his eyes and slumped in his seat. “She couldn’t just fall in love with a simple lord, could she?”
Lore chuckled. “We are not simple lords.”
No, there was nothing simple about their family or the blood of the ancestors that ran through their veins. Warriors. Vikings. Even Roman gods, if you believed in such things.
“So, is it decided?” Hero asked. “We go forward with the assumption that Cartelle is innocent?”
“We do,” Asher said. “For now.”
* * *
Valiant covered her face and tried to ignore the voices around her. While her sisters-in-law meant well with their words of encouragement and comfort, it all just served to make Valiant feel worse. “Please, I need a moment alone.” She needed to come up with a way to free Anthony that didn’t break her vow to Hero.
Everly shook her head. “We simply want you to know that you are not alone. We will help you.”
Valiant shook her head. “I don’t wish for any of you to get involved in this.” She lifted her head and met the eyes of the women of her family. “I don’t wish any of your husbands getting angry at you because of me.”
Brinley scoffed. “Lore wouldn’t be too terribly angry. He still begs my forgiveness for getting me pregnant with the twins.” She laughed.
Valiant smiled and recalled the day Brinley gave birth. Lore had been in great hysterics when Brinley had to endure yet another delivery after the one that had already driven him mad. But everyone knew he loved his children and would not trade them for the world.
Everly’s hazel gaze was warm. “Asher will be upset, but he’ll get over it. Also, it’s likely he’s preparing for this very thing. You know how he always thinks three moves ahead of everyone else. So, let us help before he has the chance to stop us.”
Valiant laughed, knowing Everly was very right.
Beatrix placed a hand on her shoulder. Her expression was sober. “Anthony is family to me. We do not abandon family.”
“No,” Valiant agreed. “We don’t abandon family.”
Everly took a seat in the chair on the other side of the fireplace in the drawing room. The reflection of the flames was a living pulse in the darkness. “So, when do you plan to speak to Lord Cartelle? Naturally, we will make a diversion for you—”
“I can’t see him,” Valiant said. Even though it was one the thing she wished to do most in the world. “I swore to Hero that I wouldn’t.”
Silence fell in the room.
“I could speak to him,” Beatrix said.
“Absolutely not.” That came from Everly. “If he doesn’t want Valiant, his sister, around the man, he’d snap at the thought of you over there.”
“Anthony would never hurt me,” Beatrix said.
Brinley took to the couch. “Anthony wouldn’t hurt Valiant either.”
“This is about reputation,” Everly said. “And though I hate to agree with such silly rules, as a lady who’d almost been engaged to Anthony, you cannot go to his home. None of us will. Besides, it’s unlikely he’s home anyway. After what Denhallow has accused him of, he’ll likely be taken to Newgate.” Though they wouldn’t be sure until news reached them.
Beatrix frowned at Everly before she spun away to join Brinley on the couch. “You’re beginning to reason like Asher.”
Valiant agreed. “Someone should speak to Denhallow.”
“Such a tragedy what happened to his face,” Brinley sighed. “Undoubtedly, many of the ton will feel inclined to take Denhallow’s account simply for the wrong that has been dealt him.”
Valiant closed her eyes. The image she had of Denhallow would likely haunt her for the rest of her days. “Someone is out to get Anthony. I know it.”
“Who?” Everly asked. Then she groaned. “Who not? The man surely has a vast list of enemies.”
“There’s Rosamund,” Beatrix said.
Valiant shook her head. “I thought that as well, but I don’t believe he’d have the stomach for such an act. Also, Rosamund has not left London since the beginning of the Season.” The man was known to make appearances at every home possible and spread the latest gossip faster than any woman could. “Whoever did this was cruel.”
“Evil,” Brinley said.
“You should meet with Denhallow.” Everly stood as she spoke to Valiant. “He may feel more inclined to speak with you, since you and he are friends.” She opened the door.
Valiant asked, “Where are you going?”
Everly’s eyes widened. “It is not where I am going, but where you are going. You must leave now before the men realize our intentions and move to stop us.”
Valiant stood. “Likely Lore will wish to visit Denhallow as well.”
“I’ll keep him here,” Brinley vowed. “You must go.”
Valiant moved with Everly down the hall. They headed to the back door, yet from their position, she could hear the door to Asher’s office open as her brothers came out.
“Go quickly,” Everly whispered.
Valiant pulled the hood of her cloak down. “Where will you say that I’ve gone?”
“Home,” Everly said. “Your own home since you wished to be alone.”
There was heavy meaning in Everly’s eyes.
Valiant would actually have to go to the residence she’d shared with Noah in order for the story to be true.
Was she ready to venture into that house?
She must. Everly’s excuse was likely the only one her brothers would believe and the only place they’d not follow if she truly wished to be alone. She kissed Everly’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Everly yanked Valiant’s hood down farther. “Hurry.”
Valiant turned and slipped into the night.
∫ ∫ ∫
3 9
“Call me a fool, but I believe you to be innocent,” Thomas Harris said as he showed Anthony to a room. Mr. Harris had been in the courtroom where the magistrate was preparing to send Anthony to Newgate when suddenly he’d stepped forward and presented the judge with another alternative.
Thomas Harris had served as a constable in his own community and was currently a barrister, making him a friend of the court, and thus, making his request to house the fugitive until a proper trial could be set granted with little fuss.
The room Anthony was given was small, but compared to the cold floors of Newgate, the infested bed, and the food that would not be suitable for a dog, it was paradise. He turned to Mr. Harris. “Thank you.”
Thomas Harris was the last person Anthony had thought would come to his aid. The two had not been getting along where the search for his cousin Lord Coldwater was concerned. Thomas still thought it a waste of time, but apparently, that had not changed the man’s opinion on Anthony’s innocence.
Thomas nodded. “We both know you are innocent. Now, we must prove it.”
Usually, a man would hire a solicitor and t
hat solicitor would then call for a barrister to have the case presented for the court, but under the circumstances, Anthony didn’t feel comfortable hiring another man. Even with Harris’ proven belief in him, he was still uncomfortable.
But Anthony had no other choice.
They left the room and spent some time in the parlor. He told Mr. Harris everything he’d learned from the Curbains.
“I’ll need to speak to Lord Denhallow,” the thin man said as he tapped his fingers against his glass of port. “I shall go in the morning.”
“Go tonight,” Anthony urged. He didn’t like the idea of leaving anything to chance. Much could happen in a single night. He should know. Not for the first time, he’d been forced to leave Ayers’ residence in the midst of proposing marriage. “If the man must take an opiate to sleep through the pain then hopefully you can speak to him before he falls asleep.”
“The morning will be better.” Mr. Harris stood. “I’ll see you to your room.”
Anthony allowed it, but he stayed awake for hours. Then, when he was sure the rest of the house slept, he slipped through the window in his room and out of the house.
He was not surprised to find a guard stationed at the head of the street. The man had either been asked to stand there for Anthony’s protection or just in case Anthony tried to slip away.
The presence of the guard only meant he’d have to go through the back alleys.
He could not afford to be caught. He did not wish to reward Mr. Harris’ generosity with deceit, but he had to know the truth.
His entire future rested upon doing so.
Anthony went home first. He planned to take evidence from his office to Denhallow in order to plead his case.
He was not surprised at all when his butler announced the presence of a woman.
But yet again, he was disappointed at the sight of his visitor.
“What are you doing here, Miss Milton? The hour is late.” He turned back to the papers he’d piled on his desk. He would no longer lead the woman on. He was in love with Valiant and wanted her gone.
Lottie Milton wasted no time in making her reasons for her visit known. “I want you to kill someone.”
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