Chapter 30
Thirty
The scream tore through the night, high and sharp. April!Theo dropped the glass of brandy in his hand. It shattered against the study floor, amber liquid spilling in a wide arc. He didn’t stop to curse or question. He turned sharply toward the open study window as another scream came.
He leaped out the window and sprinted toward the pond, his heart hammering in his chest.
He saw the ripples first. Then her.
She was flailing, her arms barely breaking the surface. Hair slicked against her face, she coughed and sank, only to kick again, desperate. Without thinking, he dove.
The water closed around him like a shroud, cold and deep. He fought against it, surging forward until he reached her. She fought him blindly, panic driving her limbs in every direction.
He caught her waist and locked an arm across her chest, turning her body toward the bank as he kicked hard. She was heavier than she should have been—her cloak was sodden and clinging.
He dragged her to the shore, gasping, lifting her from the water with effort. She was coughing, spitting out pond water, shivering violently.
“April, it’s me. It’s Theo. You are safe. I have you.”
She didn’t answer. Her fingers clutched at him unconsciously.
He yanked the cloak from her shoulders, tossed it aside, and gathered her into his arms. Her head lolled against his shoulder as he strode back toward the manor, barking for Mrs. Maple the moment he entered.
In his chambers, he knelt before the hearth and laid her down gently. He tore the bedclothes from the mattress and wrapped them tightly around her shivering form. Then he sat, pulled her against his chest, and held her.
“April,” he said softly, adjusting the blanket. “Tell me what happened.”
She shivered. “I slipped.”
He leaned back slightly and framed her face with his hands. “Look at me. Tell me the truth.”
She paused, then said, “I heard something. Then I slipped.” Her eyes were unfocused, and that tore through him.He pressed his lips to her temple. “You are safe now. I promise.”
She shivered, curling tighter into him, as if by proximity alone she might forget the cold, the fear, the way the world had tilted. He shifted slightly, reached for his discarded coat, and pulled out a handkerchief. Without thinking, he pressed it into her hand.
She looked down, unfolding it slowly. Her fingers stilled as her eyes found the stitches.
“Did I make this?”
He didn’t answer. Not right away.
“I did,” she said with quiet conviction. “At Christmastide. I embroidered this. For you.”
“It’s just a handkerchief,” he murmured, voice rougher than he intended.
“You kept it.”
The air turned brittle. He stood, suddenly, too fast, his heart hammering in his chest. She cannot know the reason.
“Why did you keep it, Theo?”
The sound of his heartbeat was beginning to drown everything else. He could not allow her to know the reason he still had her handkerchief with him. Theo had to leave. Now.
“This discussion is over,” he rasped. “You must get dry. I’ll have Mrs. Maple help you.”
Before she could speak, a knock sounded. He crossed to the door, opening it to find Mrs. Maple with blankets and warm water.
“Help her change,” he ordered. “Stay with her.”
He walked away before April could say another word.
In his study, he shut the door behind him and leaned back, palms braced against the wood. He could not stop the shaking in his hands.
I cannot lose control. I cannot feel. Not again. But the memory would not relent.
Little April had run into the drawing room, a folded cloth tucked behind her back. He had been seated across from August, their game of chess pausing the moment she hovered beside them, rocking on her heels.
“What are you playing?” she asked, peering at the board.
“Chess,” Theo answered as he moved a pawn.
“Are you winning?”
August laughed. “He is not.”
“Be nice to our guest,” she scolded, her nose wrinkled in disapproval. Then she looked back to Theo, her blue eyes wide. “Do you know how to play snapdragons?”
“I do not,” Theo said solemnly.
“You must learn. We set raisins on fire and snatch them before the flame catches your fingers. It’s very dangerous.”
August sighed. “You are not meant to encourage that story.”
“It’s true,” April insisted. Then, tilting her head, she studied Theo again. “Since you are a duke, do you live in a castle? Mama said that most dukes own castles.”
Theo shook his head. “No castle. Just two manors.”
Her face fell. “That’s a shame. You can’t be a prince without a castle.”
“I did not realize I was applying for the title.”
She grinned. “It’s very exclusive. Are you brave?”
“I hope so.”
“Can you fight dragons?”
“I’ve not yet been asked to.”
“Then I’ll decide later.” She paused. “Are you very rich?”
August groaned. “April.”
“What?” she said. “It’s a reasonable question.”
Theo, suppressing a smile, said, “I do not want for things.”
She nodded sagely. “Well, that’s good. A poor prince is no good at all. And you’re tall. That helps.”
“Are you a princess?” he asked her, deciding to play her game. Theo rarely admitted things to himself, but she was witty and amusing.
She lifted her chin with all the pride in the world. “I’m my father’s princess.”
August ruffled her hair. “She rules this house with sticky fingers and an iron will.”
“Since you aim to embarrass me before a duke, I shall do the same.” She turned to Theo. “August once ate an entire cake meant for Mama’s birthday,” she said gravely. “He cried after. I saw it.”
Theo looked at August, who winced. “Is that true?”
“It was a very good cake.”
April giggled, and then as if remembering her purpose, she straightened and stepped forward. Her eyes turned serious again.
“I brought you something.”
“Oh?”
She thrust her gift forward. “This is for you. I embroidered it because I did not know if you had one.”
He took it gently. The stitches were uneven, the flowers slanted, the butterflies too fat or too thin, and his initials were crooked in the corner. It was imperfect, but she made it. And it was for him.
He smiled. For the first time in a while.
She beamed at him, positively radiant, then turned and skipped away, already calling for the cat she meant to dress in ribbons.
Theo looked down at the cloth in his hands and traced the crooked initials with one finger. This was something he had never been given before.
The warmth of that moment clashed violently with the chill gripping him now. He turned toward his desk and braced himself against its edge, his breath shallow.
I cannot afford this. I cannot afford to feel anything toward her. Not if it means I might lose her too.
April pushed back the covers and sat up slowly, the morning sun streaming pale and indifferent through the windows. Her body still ached faintly from the shock of the night before, but she was dry and warm now Still, more than anything, she felt unsettled.
She stepped out of bed and pulled a shawl over her shoulders before ringing the bell. Mrs. Maple and Miss Evans entered shortly after, the housekeeper holding a breakfast tray.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Mrs. Maple said. “Mr. and Mrs. Roth departed early. Left at dawn, nearly. They asked that we send their warmest regards.”
“So suddenly?” April asked.
Miss Evans stepped forward and handed her a folded note. “Mr. Roth left this for Your Grace.”
April opened the note and scanned its contents:
My dear Duchess,
I trust this finds you improved in health.
Please forgive our sudden departure—we did not wish to disturb your rest after your terrible fright last night.
My wife and sons send their fondest regards.
You have made Stone Hall a warm and gracious place, and it was a pleasure to spend time under its roof. I do hope we might visit again.
Yours most sincerely,
Gregory Roth
April stared at the signature a moment longer. She folded the note carefully, placing it aside.
She knew. She had no proof, but she knew it had been Loretta who pushed her.
There was malice in the woman’s every glance, every veiled compliment.
But what could she say? That she suspected Theo’s cousin’s wife of attempted murder on the basis of a hunch and a history of petty jabs?
She would sound mad. Theo had so little family left, and Gregory clearly adored his wife.
She could not risk fracturing something that fragile. April cleared her throat. “Where is His Grace?”
Mrs. Maple Maple’s eyes darted around for a moment, as though she was reluctant to answer. “He left shortly after sunrise. Said he had business in Dorset and will be away for several days.”
April rose at once. “Miss Evans, help me dress. Mrs. Maple, thank you for the breakfast. I will take it shortly.”
Once the housekeeper had left, April turned to her maid. “I want you to pack a bag for me. I am going to London”
Miss Evans looked up sharply. “Are you certain, Your Grace? London is a day’s journey, and you are still unwell.”
April offered a small smile. “I feel quite well, and I simply wish to see my family. That is all.”
“How long will you be gone for so that I know what to pack for you?”
“A sennight.”
Her maid did not look convinced about April’s motive, but she obeyed.
An hour later, dressed in a pale lavender morning dress and a under a cotton travel, April descended the steps of Stone Hall and climbed into the waiting carriage.
She arrived in London as the sun was setting, and April looked up at Stone House. This was the very place that made her question Theo’s humanity, yet it seemed to be her refuge now. She did not feel safe in Kent. That knowledge was unbearable.
theThe following morning, the carriage pulled into the drive, the front doors burst open, and her mother and sisters poured out in a chorus of surprise and excitement.
“April!”
“Good heavens, what a wonderful surprise!”
“We were not expecting you!”
She was pulled into embraces, laughter, warm hands, and cheerful exclamations.
In the drawing room, her mother beamed as she poured the tea herself. “You have come at the most wonderful time, my darling. Your papa is resting now, but he is much improved. The new doctor—the one recommended by your husband—is doing wonders.”
“Truly?” April asked, setting down her gloves.
“Yes. He studied in France. Very modern and quite brilliant. And now that you are safely married, I have no need to march your sisters into dreadful drawing rooms all over London.”
April smiled though her chest felt hollow. It all sounded so perfect. Why did it feel like her world was shifting beneath her feet?
When their mother left the room to check on their father, May immediately turned to her. “How long are you staying, truly? I saw the bag the footman took upstairs.”
April looked between her sisters. “I am unsure… I… needed air.”
June frowned. “Did something happen?”
April glanced toward the window, her hands curling tightly in her lap. She considered her words, unsure whether voicing them would cause more harm than good.
Then, quietly, she told them about Loretta. About her veiled comments, the insinuations, and the worst of it—that Loretta told her that she and Theo had once courted, that he would grow bored of her, and that marriage did not stop a man from indulging his passions.
“She said all that?” May asked, aghast.
“Not directly. She laced it with sweetness, like poison in honey.”
June crossed her arms. “I quite dislike her.”
“You needn’t believe her, April,” May added.
April looked down. “She is very beautiful. What hope have I?”
“Oh, nonsense!” May waved a hand. “We are Mama’s lovely little flowers!”
April chuckled at that, but then all joy left her again. “There is something else. I was pushed into the water two nights ago.”
May and June gasped in unison, with May taking April’s hand. “Are you all right?”
“I left Kent because I was afraid… I still am, because I am certain that someone pushed me.”
“Loretta?” June asked, her amber eyes blazing as though she was about to find Loretta and hold her accountable.
“I think so, but I have no proof.” April looked from one sister to the other. “Will you help me?”
“Whatever you need.” May squeezed her other hand.
“I want to know everything about her,” April said. “I need to know what reason she has to drown me.”
June nodded. “We shall begin the quest at once.”
“April,” May tilted her head thoughtfully, “Did you tell your husband?”
She shook her head. “No, because I have no proof. Besides, he does not know that I am in Lond—”
A loud bang startled them all. The unmistakable, purposeful tread of boots echoed from the foyer. Each step drew nearer.
“Where is she?” came Theo’s voice.
The drawing room door opened a moment later. He stood in the doorway, tall, composed, and his eyes solely on April.
“Ladies,” he said, giving May and June a brief nod, “if you would excuse us.”
Her sisters did not need telling twice. They slipped out, casting backward glances.
April remained still, her back straight, her heart pounding in her chest as Theo closed the door behind himself.