Chapter 19
Adrian stared at the missive Elks had brought him while trying to come to grips with the information the words conveyed.
“Is something amiss?” Samantha asked.
She sat on the sofa beside him, cradling Alexandra while she slept.
To think it was already more than a week since he’d fretted over both of their fates in the birthing room at Saint George’s, was inconceivable to him.
The ensuing days had flown by with Samantha almost fully recovered now thanks to her excellent constitution.
She’d started going for regular walks and was keen on adding some gentle exercises to her morning routine.
“Adrian,” she prodded when he didn’t respond to her question.
They’d removed themselves to the library after enjoying a quiet luncheon together — a brief reprieve in the constant battering of their lives – and now this.
Adrian stood and crossed to the fireplace. Forearm propped against the mantlepiece, he bowed his head and watched the flames dance across the logs. He should have known something would shatter the peace they’d found since returning home after Alexandra’s birth.
What shocked him most…
No, what angered him most, was that he’d expected the upset to come from Finn O’Leary or Wrengate, possibly even both.
Already, Wrengate had made his impatience with Adrian known.
Understandable. Adrian would be out of his mind as well if he were in Wrengate’s position.
So he took the threats the duke issued as proof of the fear he harbored for his sister rather than something to truly worry about.
Nevertheless, the duke remained a concern, though not as great a concern as O’Leary, whose shadow Adrian sensed was constantly stalking him.
But this…
He curled his fingers around the paper he held in his hand and felt it crumple slightly. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined the next problem he’d have to deal with to be the betrayal of one of those closest to him.
“Lady Edwina has been saved from those who took her,” he said.
“Oh, but that’s wonderful news,” said Samantha. She was quiet a moment, and then, “I thought you said Murry would bring her here when he found her, so we could provide the care she needs after such an experience. Before sending word to her brother?”
“Those were the instructions. Yes.” Adrian turned, slowly, for the sake of maintaining whatever calm he possessed for as long as possible. Jaw tight, he held up the letter. “Apparently, Murry has chosen to ignore them completely.”
Instead of the equal outrage he’d expected from his wife, she merely produced a “hmm” sound, then returned her attention to Alexandra. “And?”
“And?” He gaped at her. Surely she knew what this meant. “It’s a breach of trust, Samantha. For the first time in all the years he has been in my employ, Murry has blankly refused an order. The one man who knows first-hand what I do to traitors has turned into one himself.”
“Will you read what he wrote out loud?”
Adrian blinked. He honestly wasn’t sure how to cope with this placid response to what had transpired. Maybe hearing Murry’s words for herself would make her realize how grave the situation was.
“Very well. He says,”—Adrian cleared his throat—“I am taking Lady Edwina elsewhere for recuperation. Her ordeal left a mark that makes her fear her brother’s reaction.
She has no wish to go home, and I was compelled to help her avoid this.
Rest assured, I shall try to change her mind while giving her the time she needs to process what happened.
“‘You should know that she was drugged, much as I was years ago. Denied the substance, she will feel increasingly unwell before she gets better. I expect it to take a week.
“‘My sincerest apologies for the difficulty this will cause with regard to Wrengate. Unfortunately, I feel that I owe his sister more than I do him, and though my greatest duty in all of this is to you, my choice is made based on the person who needs me the most. I cannot forsake her.’”
“Hmm.”
There it was again, that sound that seemed to say so much without saying anything meaningful at all. Adrian huffed a breath. “What?”
“Murry isn’t so much betraying you as trying to help a damsel in distress.
He’s aware that she’s the weakest person in all of this, with no choice of her own once returned to her brother’s care.
Personally, I like Murry more for daring to do what he believes to be right.
Especially when it means thwarting you, the man for whom he would go to hell and back in a heartbeat.
Surely you know this was no easy choice for him to make, so the fact that he made it should tell you that it is of great importance to him. ”
“Then he should bloody well have trusted that I would hear him out and offer to lend a hand. If he’d come to me, faced me, and asked for assistance, I’d have given it.”
“Maybe,” she agreed. “But how long would you be able to stand against Wrengate? The man would crush you were he to discover his sister was found and that you weren’t bringing her home.”
“That’s beside the point.”
“I’m not sure Murry or Lady Edwina would agree.”
“I’m going to contact Murdoch. See if his informants can gather some information on where they’re holed up.”
“And when you find them?”
Adrian was already picturing the thrashing he meant to give his valet. The treacherous bastard would be brought back here and whipped until he knew his bloody place. And he would never again walk by Adrian’s side. In fact, he’d learn to muck out the stables and plough the fields at Deerhaven Manor.
“Murry will wish I hadn’t.”
“Adrian…” Samantha’s voice was suddenly grave. “I urge you to consider how loyally Murry has served you over the years, stacked against one decision that didn’t align with what you had in mind.”
“A decision that didn’t align with what I had in mind?” He couldn’t control himself any longer. Did his wife not grasp the enormity of what this meant?
Alexandra yelped a couple of times, and Samantha lifted her upward, shifting her position so Alexandra’s head rested upon her shoulder.
“Murry has always done your bidding without question,” she hissed while stroking her hand up and down Alexandra’s back in long soothing movements.
“Last year, if you’ll recall, he was shot while trying to save me.
If anything, all he has done for you should have earned him the right to make an informed decision like this without you instantly viewing it as a betrayal. ”
“How else am I supposed to view it?”
Alexandra yelped once more before bursting into a full bout of tears.
Samantha stood and began gently bouncing from side to side while hugging Alexandra against her. “I think you should trust that he did this for a good reason, and then I think you ought to forgive him for it.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time such a thing was asked of me, and you know how hard that was.”
“Wonderful,” she clipped as Alexandra began wailing in earnest. “You’ve managed to bring up my flaws as well. And undo the peace I spent over an hour trying to acquire.”
Samantha held the baby toward him. “Here. You take her. The two of you obviously share the same temperament at the moment.”
Panicking, Adrian instinctively reached for his daughter, whose face was now red with fury. Then, realizing what had transpired, he offered her back to Samantha.
“No.” Samantha was already heading toward the door. “I’m going to get some rest. If you need assistance, Emma can help.”
The door opened and closed, leaving Adrian in the library. Alone, with a screaming infant and a very strong feeling that maybe he’d overreacted.
* * *
Sitting in bed with the coverlet pulled around her, Edwina considered the man who slept in the chair. James Murry. He’d positioned himself in front of the door, whether to stop her from leaving the room or to make sure he’d be alerted should someone try to enter, she wasn’t entirely sure.
A bit of both, perhaps?
The soft morning light illuminated his features, which were dominated by hard lines. Not in the way that made for a handsome appearance, but rather a roughened one that proved he could be just as harsh as a winter storm in the highlands.
Even now while he rested, he looked irritable.
Unsurprising, considering how much he’d gone through on her behalf — a stranger to whom he owed nothing.
Her heart tightened behind her ribs. While she’d known Henshaw had fired his weapon, she hadn’t realized he’d actually shot Murry until they arrived at this inn and he’d asked her to survey the damage.
How self-obsessed he must think her, to accept his assurance that he was well when he clearly wasn’t.
All her thoughts had been on how to avoid going home, while the man who’d ensured such an option even existed for her quietly suffered. And as if that weren’t enough, she’d repaid his sacrifice by trying to run away from him.
Truly, she wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he thought her the most unfeeling person in the world.
She expelled a slow breath. At least there had only been one lead ball to contend with. It hadn’t been deeply imbedded, allowing her to extract it with the aid of the tools the inn-keeper provided.
The other lead ball had only grazed his shoulder without making entry, but the wound it had caused was still raw. The pull on it whenever he used his right arm was clearly cause for discomfort.
Edwina had cleaned both lacerations with some brandy before covering them as well as she could with clean linen strips. She would have to check her work today to ensure there weren’t any signs of infection.
Her gaze dropped to her hands on that thought and a chill swept through her. Even though she’d washed them last night, she could still see Mr. Grover’s blood staining her flesh.
Swallowing hard, she jerked her head sideways and closed her eyes, attempted to keep her breaths smooth and steady.
Yet there was no denying what she had done.
She’d stabbed a man to death and…