Chapter Nine #2
“My brother is, or should I say was, morally bankrupt. I felt the need to counteract that by being on the opposite side of every political issue he represented. Not that it was difficult; he was a horrid person.” She patted an escaped strand of hair back into place.
“If something would benefit others in England, he opposed it, saying such things should be kept sacred to the upper class.”
“Oh, goodness,” Caroline said in a soft voice.
“It gets worse,” the lady said with a decided shake of her head.
“My brother and I usually had words at every society event we both attended. Turington made certain his votes in parliament went opposite to what my brother wanted.” For the space of a few heartbeats, she remained silent.
Then she continued, “Truly my brother was a problem in society and quite verbose in his views; he was an embarrassment. How did he come to hate his fellow man? I have no idea.”
Caroline exchanged a glance with him. He shrugged. What was there to say? She cleared her throat as Felix wrote down a few notes. “Lady Angela, have you ever thought of getting rid of Lord Withington merely for the quiet?”
The lady chuckled. “Of course. Who wouldn’t? He kept our family in the gossip sheets. There was a time when my father wanted him to be shanghaied on a navy ship, no questions asked.”
Felix’s lips twitched from the urge to snicker. “Did you brother have a mistress?”
“When didn’t he?” Lady Angela shrugged. “There was always a woman stupid enough to be involved with him. God only knows why. But, yes, he did have a current mistress, and what’s more, she and Lady Withington are close friends. It’s quite bizarre.”
“That is an interesting bit,” Caroline said, but there were questions in her eyes. Would she ask them? “Did he treat the mistress more kindly than he did his wife?”
The lady’s expression fell. “No. He never treated anyone gently.” She pressed her lips together.
“My brother either hated everyone or thought they were all beneath him. And God help us all if they were a woman. He used to say that there was no purpose to a woman unless she was on her hands and knees, either cleaning or receiving a man’s prick. ”
“I beg your pardon, but he was a horrible human being.” Caroline clasped her hands together in her lap. Anger flashed in her dark eyes. “That being said, did he ever complain about people trying to kill him?”
“All the time. Along with being vile, he was paranoid. Thought everyone in parliament wanted him dead, the same with his friends and even some members of his family.” Then the lady rose to her feet, which meant Felix scrambled to his.
“I don’t know much more than that. If you want to know why he was killed, talk to this valet or even his mistress, and be mindful that she’s close to my dead brother’s wife. ”
“Thank you for your time, Lady Angela.” Slowly, Caroline stood. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“While I appreciate that, we both know it’s an empty sentiment.” She bounced her gaze between Caroline and him. “The world is a better place without my brother in it. Anyone would tell you that, so if I were you? I wouldn’t put too much effort into this investigation.”
Felix snorted. “That’s not how any of this works, my lady. Miss Ives and I, at least, want the truth. Either every death matters or none of them do.” When Caroline rested her gaze on him with such pride reflected in the depths of her eyes, he felt as if he could do anything.
“That is understandable, Major. I wish you good luck.” Lady Angela brushed a piece of lint from her skirting. “Now, I’m certain Turington is waiting for me. I simply must go. Society awaits.”
With nothing else to do, Felix waited until the lady exited the room, then he escorted Caroline down the corridor toward the entry hall.
“That was… interesting.”
Caroline nodded. Since they hadn’t left their outer clothing with the butler, they merely glanced his way and then left the residence. “Is it truly possible that Lord Withington was that horrible of a man to leave no one behind who would mourn him? Not even his only sister?”
“Truth be told? Judging from my own experience with him, yes. He was that vile. The wave of hate and heartbreak he left behind explains everything you need to know about him.”
A man’s legacy was indeed what he left behind in this world. It was how his friends and loved ones remembered him. As he handed Caroline into the carriage, he couldn’t help but wonder what sort of legacy he would leave behind as well.
As Caroline settled onto a bench, she sighed. “It’s a sad story all around. A man so despicable that even his wife won’t mourn for him?”
Quickly giving his driver Caroline’s address, Felix climbed into the vehicle. While the driver put up the steps and then closed the door, he said, “It’s difficult to mourn someone who abused another in all the ways that count.”
“I understand that, I do, but how can a man go through life knowing that everyone he’s ever met can’t stand to be in the same room as him?” She gazed across the narrow aisle at him. The carriage lurched into motion. “Did he not care, or did he consider it a badge of honor?”
“Perhaps a bit of both.” It was difficult to tell.
“I feel sorry for him. Given so many chances to change, to become a better person, especially knowing he would soon be a father? Love, compassion, and empathy. He missed the whole point of life.”
Felix remained quiet, for he couldn’t help but draw correlations between the dead man and his own life. Was he willing to change? Would what he was doing now be enough for Caroline and how their life would unfold?
God, I hope so.
As they both retreated into their thoughts, silence reigned inside the carriage.
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her opinion of him and if she thought he would be remembered fondly when the soft report of a rifle echoed in the stillness of the night.
Seconds later, the window glass cracked and shattered as a ball came sailing into the vehicle.
“Shit!”
Acting entirely upon instinct, Felix yanked Caroline off her bench and threw her to the floorboards.
He wedged his body on top of hers in an effort to protect her from possible further shots even though he bumped his chin on the steps.
Immediately, the carriage lurched to a halt.
The muffled sound of galloping hooves drifted to his ears. Was that the shooter getting away?
Then the conveyance rocked as his driver climbed down. The door wrenched open and Daniel peered downward as Felix looked up.
“Are you all right, Major? Is Miss Ives unharmed?”
“We are both uninjured. Thank you, Daniel.” With the driver’s help, he leveraged himself off Caroline. “Did you see who fired the shot?”
“I did not. It caught me by surprise, but someone raced by on a horse just after. I don’t know if he was the shooter; I couldn’t see a rifle on him.” He leaned in and helped Felix assist Caroline back onto her bench despite the glass that littered everything.
“You weren’t hurt, were you?” Caroline wanted to know as she looked at him with wide eyes.
“I was not, Miss Ives.” Daniel assured her with a nod. “I just wanted to check on you both. Don’t worry, Miss Ives, I’ll have you home soon.”
“Thank you.” She sat with a pale face while Daniel closed the door. “Do you think the shooting was random or in conjunction to the case?”
The carriage lurched into motion. Felix fussed with the black velvet curtain, but without the glass, all sense of privacy—and safety—had fled.
“I don’t know, but we’ve only just started the investigation, barely talked to anyone. How would anyone on the street know where we were or who we were?”
She shrugged. “Does it matter? Someone thought it necessary to shoot at us. Accident or not, you or I could have been killed.” Tears sounded in her voice, but she was a brick of a woman, and didn’t shed them. “I’m frightened, Felix.”
“I know.” Reaching out, he took her hand and tugged her over to his bench. Then he wrapped his arms around her and simply held her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“After tonight, I’ll wager it already has. If someone indeed knew who we were and shot to kill, someone, somewhere, doesn’t want us to continue investigating this case.” She blew out a breath. “For a man that no one will miss.”
“It makes no sense.” What the devil was going on with the case?
“That’s what is most worrying. Perhaps there is something deeper at play that we haven’t uncovered yet.” She clung to him, and for the moment, the only thing he wished to do was provide her comfort and lend her his strength. “This won’t make us stop investigating, will it?”
“Absolutely not.” How much did he admire her courage in the face of obvious danger? “We won’t quit until we discover the truth.” Unless the danger got out of hand, then he would ask Caroline to bow out. She would hate him, but at least she would be safe.
By the time they arrived at her father’s home, he wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight. Upon escorting her into the townhouse, her aunt came down the stairs at the same time.
“Good heavens. You look like a dog’s breakfast, Caroline. What happened?”
Felix frowned as he glanced at her in the candlelight. Obvious dirt smudges decorated her coat and parts of her skirting. Her bonnet was a bit smashed on one side, while a few pieces of glass were lodged in the ruching that bordered her bodice.
Damn.
Before Caroline could answer, he quickly inserted, “Caroline and I are investigating a murder. As we were coming back from an interview, someone shot at us through the carriage window. I pulled her from the bench and covered her with my body to protect her. Neither of us are injured.”
Caroline nodded. “It was quite harrowing.” When the other woman crossed her arms at her chest and bounced her gaze between the two of them, she smiled and waved a hand at him. “Aunt Georgiana, this is Major Kourier.”
“I may be old, girl, but I do remember who he is. We met the evening of the rout.” Then the older woman caught Caroline’s hand. “As glad I am that you are safe, I am more interested in this.” She drew her niece along the corridor and closer to a wall sconce. “Are you engaged to this man?”
“I am.” The smile that curved her lips could light up the night. “It, ah, happened earlier this afternoon, but I didn’t have the chance to tell you.”
“Well, you finally came up to scratch, did you, Major?” The aunt turned her attention on Felix as she dropped Caroline’s hand. “Wish to make an honest woman of her?”
“I did. And I couldn’t be happier.” Daring much, he took one of the aunt’s hands, brought it to his lips, and kissed the back. “Truth be told, I finally discovered that I wanted her all to myself despite the risks of marriage.”
“Good for you. At least you were only a fool for seven months.” She tugged her hand from his. “It’s late right now, and Caro is a mess and nearly drooping from reaction, but I want to have a proper sit down with you so I can find out more about you, Major.”
He nodded. “I look forward to your summons, Lady Kearney.” Then he turned to Caroline. “Will you be all right tonight? Do you wish for me to ask one of the Bow Street men to set a guard at your home?” If this wasn’t just a one-off experience, then he would do exactly that, of course.
“I’ll be fine. We don’t know if the shooting was random or even meant for us at this point. It won’t do to panic.” She laid a palm on his chest, then despite her aunt looking on, she bussed his cheek. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yes. We still have a case to solve.” With a nod at her aunt, he said, “If anything untoward occurs tonight, send word to me.” Only once he was outside the house did he acknowledge the pain around his heart and the tightness of his chest.
Shit, he could have lost Caroline tonight, and he knew deep down in his soul the shooting wasn’t random. It was more imperative that they solve the case, for he couldn’t lose her when he’d only just figured out that he loved her.