Chapter 27
CAROLINE
My pleasant dreams lasted through the night.
Then my maid woke me far too early the next morning. “A note has arrived for you, Miss Edwards. I didn’t want to wake you, but I was assured you needed to read it as soon as possible.”
Confused, I turned over to look at the clock on my bedside table. It was only five o’clock in the morning, and from her disheveled appearance, my maid had also been dragged out of bed.
I sat up and took the folded note from her with shaking hands.
Everyone knew that bad news came in the middle of the night.
But what confused me most was that the note hadn’t been delivered to my aunt or to my brother.
Remembering how I’d left Kendrick with an angry Penham last night, worry assaulted me.
My name was written in a flowery script, suggesting the note had been sent by a woman. The penmanship wasn’t in Auntie’s hand, however. I tore open the seal, took a deep breath, and unfolded the paper.
Caroline,
I thought you’d want to know that Lords Kendrick and Penham will be dueling this morning at 6 a.m. I don’t know if it can be stopped, but I’ve asked my carriage driver to wait after delivering this note. He will take you where you need to go.
Victoria Moreland
I stared at the note for several seconds, my sluggish brain trying to make sense of the words. Surely this couldn’t be true. Kendrick wasn’t foolish enough to issue such a challenge. He had other ways of gaining the upper hand with Penham.
I closed my eyes as the truth hit me. This was exactly the kind of thing Penham would do.
And that meant my brother would also be there to act as his second.
Why were the two of them insisting on making this situation even worse?
They were the ones who’d set this whole ordeal into motion, and now Penham was calling out Lord Kendrick, who’d also been an unwitting pawn in their scheme.
Anger, swift and hot, rose within me, and I turned to my maid. “I need to leave at once. The most practical clothes for such an early hour.”
She nodded. “I will accompany you.”
“Thank you, Milly.” I scrambled from the bed and turned to face her. “Is my brother here?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t come home last night. Should I inform Lady Fredricks about what is happening?”
I shook my head. “My aunt does not need to know about this. It will only worry her. And I’m sure Henry will already be waiting.”
She nodded, no doubt relieved to learn that I’d be meeting my brother. She didn’t need to know that Henry wouldn’t be expecting to see me this morning. In fact, I could guarantee he’d be very annoyed when I showed up.
I dressed quickly, and the two of us made our way downstairs, taking care to move quietly so we wouldn’t wake Auntie. I told the lone footman waiting in the hallway that I was going to meet my brother. It wasn’t strictly a lie since Henry would be there.
“I’ll have the carriage readied,” he said.
“There’s no need.” I opened the front door and looked into the street. “Ah yes, the carriage waited. It will take me to my brother.”
I gave him a smile that I hoped would reassure him that there was nothing to worry about, then Milly and I left the house. The driver jumped down to help us into the carriage, then we were on our way.
“It’s a duel, isn’t it?” Milly asked.
I hesitated, but then I nodded. When we reached our destination, she would see for herself what was happening.
“Is it wise for you to be there?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a sigh. “But they’re dueling because of me. If there is even a chance that I can stop it, I need to try.”
Milly didn’t seem mollified, but she didn’t protest again.
With every minute that passed, my anger at Henry and Penham turned into something else. Bone-deep fear. What if they hurt Kendrick? I didn’t really know anything about duels, just that they rarely happened nowadays. But I did know that even a minor wound could fester and become infected.
I closed my eyes and sent up a prayer to whatever angels liked to watch over the foolhardy men in our lives. I didn’t want Lord Penham to be hurt, of course, but if only one of them could come out of this safely, I would choose Kendrick.
My prayers were a mantra in my head. Please don’t get hurt, Kendrick. And don’t die.
I couldn’t conceive of a world where the charming, attractive, smart, and utterly enticing man who’d danced with me last night and who’d saved me on more than one occasion could be mortally injured.
When the carriage drew to a halt, I flung open the door and jumped down. “What direction?” I shouted up at the driver..
“The field over there. Please be careful.”
I nodded, lifted my skirts, and raced in the direction he’d indicated.
I stopped when I saw them, my heart sinking when I realized I was too late.
They were already facing away from one another and pacing away.
I was frozen in place, my heart in my throat.
I wanted to rush into the clearing, but what if my outburst distracted Kendrick?
I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I was responsible for causing him harm.
He was already in enough danger because of me.
I didn’t want to see the scene play out, but I was powerless to look away. My brother stood off to one side, the Earl of Clifton at his side. The seconds. The rest of the Legends were standing on the other side of the field, watching the event unfold.
My gaze moved to Henry, who was counting their paces. When he reached ten, I stiffened. They were still too close. Penham wouldn’t miss.
He continued counting until fifteen. Then, in a blur of movement, Kendrick and Pelham pivoted, took aim, and fired.
The shock of the pistols firing had me moving. Without waiting to see whether he’d been hurt, I lifted my skirts again and raced to Kendrick’s side.