A Grave Inheritance

by Kari Edgren

  I stifled a bitter laugh. “How very astute—”

  “Thank you for the concern, your grace,” Cate interrupted. “This child sounds a menace of the worst sort, and I can personally assure you that Miss Kilbrid will remain in London and tend to Lucy Goodwin while Henry is away.” Her expression held a different type of sternness, one that expected absolute obedience. “Let me accompany you to the door. With so much to do, dawn will be here before you know it.”

  The duke didn’t move at once. He studied my face for a moment longer before tossing the rumpled letter on the floor near my feet. “Henry left this for you, Miss Kilbrid. The servant tasked with delivering it saw the wisdom of placing it in my care.” He turned toward Cate. “I am done here, my lady.” He offered an arm and they left the library together.

  I picked up the letter. The broken seal flapped loose as I tucked it into the folds of my gown.

  Tom pushed away from the wall. “I’ll see myself out.” He went a few steps, then stopped. “Selah, just so we’re clear, you are to listen to Lady Dinley and stay in London. The two of us will see to Deri. Do you understand?”

  “Perfectly,” I said. For the second time that night, I had been instructed to stay out of the way. What my great grandparents failed to understand though, was that I didn’t always do as I was told.

  I spun toward James the moment the door clicked shut. His gaze dropped to the letter. “Read it,” he said. “I would know Lord Fitzalan’s intentions before we act.”

  The parchment shook slightly when I unfolded the creases and skimmed the hastily penned words.

  My Dearest Selah,

  Please forgive me for leaving you once more in James’s care. I take full responsibility for what befell Nora at the theater, and refuse to place others in danger for my errors. Neither will I allow those who claim my best interest to put me aside while Deri is still at large. My wish is for you to remain in London at Lady Dinley’s. As there is little chance of this, I will do all in my power to finish this folly before you reach the oak grove. Upon my soul, once this matter is resolved, I shall claim the right to call you mine forever.

  HF

  I dropped my arm to my side. Henry knew me well. So well, in fact, he hadn’t expected me to stay behind while he ran headfirst into danger.

  James shifted his weight. “What have you learned, Miss Kilbrid?”

  How could I tell James that Henry intended to defeat death and gain life? Would he believe me? Would he understand that even the best of intentions sometimes went awry?

  I sighed. “He is headed for Wexford to find Deri and Nora. I...I believe he means for us to join him there.”

  James’s eyes locked on mine, and for half a heartbeat, a question hung in the air between us. What will it be?

  “Do we have an agreement, Miss Kilbrid?”

  The options were far from enviable. Banned from joining Cate and Tom, I could either set out on my own or accompany a man I detested above all others. As much as I wanted to deny it, there was power in numbers, and even our meager two would increase the chances of success.

  I nodded. “Anything to bring Nora and Henry back safely.”

  “You have an hour. Pack sparingly and be prepared to ride.”

  I darted a look toward the windows. “Are we to go in the dark?”

  James gave a mirthless laugh. “I am sufficiently familiar with the westerly roads to find our way.”

  “As you wish. There’s an old well in Cate’s back gardens. We can meet—”

  He shushed me with an abrupt hand. Then his eyes narrowed and his head tilted toward the French doors. I followed his gaze, and saw that one remained ajar a fraction of an inch after Tom left.

  Damnation! The last thing I needed was for my overly protective grandfather to have overheard our plans.

  James moved on silent feet to the door and yanked it the rest of the way open. A sharp cry followed as a man stumbled off balance into the library.

  “What are you doing?” James demanded.

  Standing upright, the young footman yanked his waistcoat straight. “Nothing, sir. Ye caught me off guard is all.” Color stained his cheeks, just as it had the day he had flirted with my maid.

  “I caught you eavesdropping,” James snapped. “Did someone send you or are you snooping of you own accord?”

  My eyes went to the letter he held in one hand, to the demi lion rampant over the letter S pressed into the red wax seal. I tensed at once. “Who is that letter for?”

  “No one, miss.”

  My stare narrowed to match James’s. “I assure you, Lord Stroud did not send a letter to no one. Now tell me who it’s addressed to or I shall find out for myself.”

  The footman edged back a step. James moved with him. “It arrived for me, miss, not but five minutes ago.”

  James crossed his arms in disbelief. “And why would Lord Stroud be writing to a servant at this hour?”

  “He...” The young man cut his eyes toward me before looking back to James. “His lordship has asked that I keep him informed of Miss Kilbrid’s whereabouts.”

  Indignation jumped like hot pins through my skin, and I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming the next question. “How long have you been working for his lordship?”

  “He first inquired about ye the night her ladyship brought ye to meet the king.”

  “That dirty rat—”

  “And the letter,” James interrupted.

  “Lord Stroud was at the theater when the riot broke out tonight. This letter is him asking for confirmation that Miss Kilbrid arrived home safe and sound.” The young man gave me a pleading look. “That’s all, miss. His lordship was just worried for yer welfare and passed along a few coins for me to keep an extra eye since ye got in town.”

  A brief pause lapsed. “How long had you been listening at the door?” James asked.

  “Less than a minute, sir.”

  I raised a suspicious brow.

  “Sophie can swear it,” he rushed. “She saw me stand for the Duke of Norland when he left.”

  I sighed ready to be done with the interchange. “Very well, you may assure Lord Stroud that I am safe.” My stare turned to nails. “And that I’ve eyes enough on me already without adding his to the company.”

  The footman bowed, his relief evident. “Aye, miss. I’ll inform his lordship at once.” He spun on his heel and hurried out of sight.

  “Do you think he’s lying about Lord Stroud’s intentions?” I asked after a moment.

  James scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t give one whit why his lordship paid him to watch you, so long as the duke and Lady Dinley remain ignorant of our plans.” He grabbed his great coat from the armchair. “Meet me at the well in one hour, Miss Kilbrid.”

  My resolve hardened to a sheath of armor. “I’ll be ready.”

  With a curt nod, James strode from the room.

  Alone once more, I went to the hearth and took a precious minute to get my mind in order. There was too much at stake to waste time on Julian’s crime. So I cursed him for a scoundrel and shoved him aside with the silent promise of a future reckoning. Richard Fitzalan met a similar fate, swiftly forgotten as he would soon be for France.

  Cate and Tom could not be dismissed with the same aplomb. They wanted me to remain in London, and heaven knew how far they would go to get their way. But the board was set, the first pieces moved, and James had given me an hour to play the obedient granddaughter before I slipped unnoticed through the walls. We each had choices to make, and nothing short of death would stop me from following after Nora.

  A fresh wave of nausea rolled through my stomach. For hours now, my dearest friend had been traveling in the company of a devil. The blame was mine to shoulder from the selfishness that had bridled my tongue. To protect my own secret, I had
refused to share the truth about Deri. And now the truth laid bare at Nora’s feet.

  Disease. Murder. Madness. If allowed too far in, these thoughts would drive me to despair. I had to be strong for Nora’s sake, to leave behind the various nightmares that littered Deri’s path—the pox, a mangled body, a man pushed to the edge of his humanity. My head fell forward, and I caught the mantel for support.

  Henry’s letter crinkled in my other hand, as though speaking of its own accord. Forgive me...before you reach the oak grove...mine forever. His words echoed in my heart.

  “Oh, Henry,” I murmured.

  I would reach the grove, of that I was certain. But then what? The questions poured into me, and I would have drowned if not for the one truth that gripped my soul—Henry and I were stronger together. And despite his attempt to keep me safe, I would stand beside him when he went amongst the oak trees to kill a devil. Or to be killed.

  A tear fell from my cheek to the fire below where it sizzled to nothing on the hot stones. I brushed the remaining wetness away. Then straightening my shoulders, I dropped his letter into the flames. When only ash remained, I turned and walked away. Whether in this world or the next, our forever would begin in Ireland.

  * * * * *

  About the Author

  Kari Edgren did not dream of becoming a writer. Instead, she dreamed of everything else and was often made to stay inside during kindergarten recess to practice her letters. Despite doting parents and a decent school system, Ms. Edgren managed to make it through elementary school having completed only one book cover to cover—The Boxcar Children, which she read approximately forty-seven times. Things improved during high school, but not until she read Gabrielle García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude in college, did she truly understand the power of a book.

  Ms. Edgren aspires to be a Vulcan, a world-acclaimed opera singer, and two inches taller. She resides in the Pacific Northwest where she spends a great deal of time torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts. Ms. Edgren hasn’t stopped dreaming, but has finally mastered her letters enough to put the stories on paper.

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  ISBN-13: 9781426899270

  A Grave Inheritance

  Copyright © 2014 by Kari Edgren Miller

  Edited by Kerri Buckley

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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