Chapter 28
They had just arrived back when Maggie frantically ran toward them. Panicked, Royce slid from the saddle before the horse had even stopped.
“What do you mean she disappeared?!” Royce roared.
“I do not know. I spoke to Della after I arrived back from an errand mother sent Aden and me on. She wanted to go for a walk, and I told her I would meet her in the gardens once I saw the items delivered to the kitchen. When I came out to find her…she was gone. Her wrap was lying on the ground by the trees over there.”
Royce looked up to see Aden dashing across the garden.
“Here…” Aden said, breathing heavily as he held out a letter to Royce. “This was delivered just before you arrived.”
Royce ripped opened the seal and read the note scrawled across the parchment. “It says to meet at the docks in Topsham at a ship named—”he squinted, attempting to read the poor handwriting—“the Primrose.”
Desmond snatched the letter from Royce’s hands and read it himself.
“I know that ship!” Mr. Rowntree said as he, the Duchess, and Tilly joined the group.
“How?” Royce asked pointedly.
“Because I just purchased that ship from Lord de Courtenay. She is to set sail in—“Mr. Rowntree looked at his pocket watch—“six hours. I was about to leave to meet with the captain before they weigh anchor. But why do you need to meet at the Primrose? Has something happened?”
“Someone has taken Della,” Maggie replied.
“Oh, my heavens.” Tilly fluttered her hand. “How far is it from here?”
“Not far,” Grayson said, dismounting from his horse. “About an hour by carriage; faster if you ride on horseback. If we leave now, we should be able to catch up with them.”
“It says here,” Desmond read out loud. “If you do not wish to become a widower this day, I would suggest coming alone.”
“Like hell you will!” the Duchess blurted out, causing everyone to turn and look at her. “Bring Della back. Do you hear me?” She looked sternly at Royce.
Royce nodded. “Right. Mother, please inform Scrivens, Imogen and the rest of the family about what has happened. Desmond, Grayson, and Aden, you all will come with me. I have two sets of dueling pistols in the study, and each of us will take one. We will have to use them wisely, as it is all I have.”
“I am coming too!” Maggie announced.
“No, you will stay here with Mother. I cannot have another person to worry about,” Royce said, shaking his head.
“She can ride with me in a carriage, Your Grace. I know what the ship looks like, and I will not stand by and wait for answers about my daughter when I might be of help,” Mr. Rowntree said sternly.
“Nor will I!” Maggie agreed.
“Very well.” The urgency to reach Della weighed heavily on Royce, so he agreed to avoid wasting any more time.
His body was practically vibrating from his anger as he ran into the study to grab the pistols. With a careful eye, he inspected the pistols, ensuring they were loaded correctly before hurrying back outside. Handing one to Grayson, Desmond, and Aden, they pulled themselves into their saddles as Mr. Rowntree and Maggie clamored into the carriage and raced to the designated meeting point.
The pounding of his horse’s hooves mirrored the thudding of his heart, burdened by his unspoken love for Della. With a glance at the sky, Royce whispered a prayer, begging for Della to remain unharmed until they could reach her.
He leaned forward, pressing his horse faster. He could not live without her, count not live without Della knowing how much he loved her. And the thought of losing her—Royce shook his head—he was going to get her back or die trying.
For him, a life without Della was not a life worth living.
“Let go of me!” Della shouted.
“This would go much more smoothly if you would stop fighting the inevitable!” Lord Haddock barked as he hauled Della from the carriage and pushed her down the dock.
Della could hear nothing but the distant shouts of sailors and the creaking and moaning of the ropes anchoring the ships as they bobbed in the water.
The mist that fell from the dark clouds gathering overhead dampened her dress, making it cling to her skin.
“Sit…” Lord Haddock commanded, pointing to a bench.
Della plopped down with a huff, not daring to provoke Lord Haddock any further until she could come up with a plan.
“Della?”
“Emma?” Della’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here? I thought you were leaving for Scotland.”
“Did he harm you?” Emma asked, running over to sit next to her. “I begged him not to do this—told him he just needed to move on. “
“Told who? Lord Haddock?” Della looked at Emma worriedly.
“Me…” an ominous voice said, as a silhouette emerged from the shadows.
“Lord Milton?”
“Yes, very astute, Miss Rowntree, and…where is His Grace? I am surprised he has not yet arrived.”
“Yes, I have!”
A sense of relief filled Della as her eyes fell upon Royce standing next to her father at the end of the dock. Their attention was not on her, but rather on Lord Milton and Lord Haddock, who were standing behind her.
But as she looked on, she could not help but worry the day might not end as happily as it had begun.
Thank heavens Mr. Rowntree had come with them, for they had nearly gone the wrong way when the road had split about a mile outside of Topsham.
When they arrived, Royce told everyone to stay hidden. Maggie had tried to argue, but Royce had put his foot down.
Mr. Rowntree, on the other hand, had charged past him, heedless of his own safety. Royce let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. Like father, like daughter.
“I believe my letter said for you to come alone, but when can one ever expect a duke to do what he is told?” Lord Haddock inquired with a sarcastic tone.
“Let her go!” Royce boomed, taking a step forward.
Lord Milton brandished a pistol from his coat pocket. “Halt, Your Grace, or I shall shoot her right here, right now, and you will have no one to blame for her death except yourself.”
Royce stood there, attempting to figure out what he was going to do next as his eyes traced down the pistol in the viscount’s hand and over to Della. She smiled at him, not hinting at how frightened she must be, unlike Miss Putnam, who stared at her father, obviously terrified of what he might do if she dared move.
Not knowing what was to come, Royce let his eyes express every emotion he felt as he looked at Della.
“I love you.”
“And I love you,” Della said, smiling at him.
“Touching,” Lord Milton sneered with contempt. “We are running out of time. So, here is what we are going to do, Your Grace. We—and by we, I mean you—are going to fake the Duchess’ death. You are going to put her on the next ship bound for America under a new name. Lord Haddock’s name.”
He gestured to the lord, who had propped himself against a lamppost as if everything was going as it should.
“He will leave with her, as was our original plan—now that I have gotten it back on track.” The Viscount said the last part as he looked at Royce’s rage filled stare. “I promise to continue to let her live, so long as she promises never to return.”
“And what about me?” Royce did his best to keep calm and his voice steady, though his anger was boiling just beneath the surface.
“You, Your Grace, will make up a very sad tale about how Her Grace perished by drowning or some such rot. Of course, her body will never be found, so there will be nothing to bury. You will wait a few weeks of the requisite mourning period before announcing you have decided to marry again. People will forgive your hastiness since your wife never produced a male heir before her tragic and untimely demise.”
“But what if I am with child?” Della asked.
“Then you can both die here or sail across the ocean and start a new life. Whichever you choose is of no matter to me,” Lord Milton spat.
“Do not worry, Miss Rowntree. We can have plenty of children once we arrive at our new home,” Lord Haddock crudely remarked, winking at Della.
Royce started for Lord Haddock, but Mr. Rowntree held him back.
“How did you even know about any of this to begin with?” Royce asked the detestable man standing before him.
“It was simple, really.” Lord haddock looked at Royce with an undeserved sense of pride. “When I heard the rumor of your engagement being postponed, I saw my chance and approached Lord Milton about offering for Miss Putnam. The viscount turned me down, but he offered me a sizeable amount if I could figure out why you had wavered on making an announcement. Later that evening, at the Bellamy’s ball, I noticed you and Miss Putnam heading to the garden and followed you. I heard everything. Including that part where she spread the rumor to force your hand.”
Royce looked at Miss Putnam, who had the wherewithal to look remorseful when she realized that her rumor had created this mess.
“Imagine my shock when I see none other than Miss Rowntree appear from behind the trees once Miss Putnam left,” Lord Haddock said with a mock look of shock on his face. “Seeing you with her, I could not help but become suspicious.”
“Suspicious of what?” Royce’s tone turned to ice as he looked at the man who was like a nightmare that never fully went away.
“Your duplicity, Your Grace. I saw you kissing Miss Rowntree. I am only sorry that my sneeze interrupted the moment. It was a rather enjoyable thing to watch.”
Royce shuddered in revulsion when Lord Haddock revealed he had been observing them in the garden. He obviously found pleasure in his depravity.
“The noise in the garden. That was you I heard?” Della asked, looking like she might be sick.
“Guilty.” Lord Haddock grinned. “I did not know if my suspicions of there being something between you two would prove correct, so I followed Miss Rowntree as well. It was not until I heard Miss Rowntree and your sister conversing in the park that I was certain of what was going on.”
“That is how you knew about the lemon tarts!” Della interrupted.
“Yes.” Lord Haddock nodded his head at Della. “The Duchess invited me to join you on the outing to the ruins, and I used that to my advantage to do what was asked of me.”
“And what was that?” Mr. Rowntree asked.
In his anger, Royce had forgotten Mr. Rowntree was standing next to him. It must have been difficult to stand there and listen to this man speaking of Della in such a disrespectful way, with no regard for her dignity.
“Why, to get rid of her,” Lord Haddock calmly replied in an unsettling tone.
“Shut up! Say no more!” Filled with rage, Lord Milton’s face contorted into a fiery shade of red. “You have done enough damage already.”
“I did as you asked, and when she did not agree to marry me, I tried to remove her from the picture—” Lord Haddock pointed at the viscount— “so that your daughter could marry your precious duke! The man I hired did what he could, but unfortunately for us, the Duchess here is rather resistant to being killed!” He gestured wildly.
“Are you saying the man who pushed Della down the stairs at the ruins is the same man that drove the hackney, cut the axle on the carriage, and chased her down in the park?” Royce’s voice grew louder as he clinched his fists at his sides.
“Yes, except the axel on the carriage.” Lord Haddock scowled. “That was me,” he grumbled, obviously displeased it had not had the outcome he had hoped for.
“Father!” Emma begged. “Please! Do not do this.”
“Shut up, girl. You could have saved us all the trouble if you had just managed to hold on to the duke. I knew your grip was tenuous at best, and so I did what needed to be done to ensure your marriage to him,” Lord Milton shouted at Emma.
“Lord Haddock found out why Her Grace was getting in the way. I told him to either secure her hand in marriage so that he might use her dowry to pay off his debts or remove her from the picture, regardless of the outcome.” Spittle flew from his mouth as his words seethed out with his rage. “But time and time again, he failed.”
“That comes as no surprise,” Royce said matter-of-factly.
Lord Haddock had obviously taken offense at the comment and stalked toward Royce, but Mr. Rowntree stepped forward and punched the man square in the jaw, knocking him unconscious.
“That is becoming a good look for him,” Royce said to no one in particular as he stood over Lord Haddock’s prone form.
“I DO NOT CARE!” The pistol in Lord Milton’s hand shook with his fury. “It was to be our family’s blood that ran through the veins of the next duke, not hers…” He gestured at Della. “MINE!”
“If you think I will ever give Della up, think again. I will bring the full force of my family’s name down upon your head and see they put you away for the rest of your miserable life.”
“Very well, Your Grace, if that is how you want this to end.”
Royce’s heart raced as he heard the distinct sound of the hammer being cocked. Without hesitation, he sprinted towards Della, feeling a surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Out of nowhere, a figure materialized, swiftly placing itself between Della and the pistol, as the deafening sound of a gunshot pierced the air.
The sound warbled around the ships, and Royce watched on as the figure crumpled to the ground.