Page 85 of Five Nights with a Rakish Duke
“Carriage accident,” Penelope muttered the words and looked to Margaret at her side, only to see that Margaret was apparently piecing the clue together as fast as she was.
“My father…” Margaret whispered.
“My father too.”
“What is going on?” Asher asked, turning to Penelope, his handsome features contorted in concern.
“Our fathers died in a carriage accident, some months ago,” Penelope said as quickly as she could. “But… that was an accident.”
“No accident, My Lady,” Jarvis said, talking over Adam as he tried to speak again. “As I understand it, Lord Larson here rather liked the idea of being the next Earl. When his own father refused to do the deed of seeing your father out of the way, he sought to do for them both.”
Margaret wailed at the words, covering her face as if trying to hide from the world. Penelope could not hide from it though; she stumbled back as if she could escape the awfulness of this moment. She felt her body clutching desperately to Asher, both hands buried in his jacket as they stumbled back. At all times, her eyes were on Adam, watching his darkened face that barely flickered, still stained with the blood that ran from the cut she had given him.
My father…
“You’re a murderer,” Penelope said, her breath hitching in the middle as tears threatened her another time.
“Walker!” Asher turned his head and shouted back at the house. “Walker?” Seconds later the butler appeared, poking his head out of the door. “Get the constables. Now, as quickly as you can, man.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The butler hurried off before he could say any more.
“You have condemned yourself as well as me,” Adam said, turning his glare on Jarvis.
“With that, good day to you, Lord Larson.” Jarvis bowed and turned to leave.
“He killed my father,” Penelope said in a fast whisper. “He cannot –”
“I know,” Asher said, releasing her arm and moving away from her. As Jarvis attempted to climb back into his carriage and make his escape, Asher blocked his way.
“Now, Your Grace,” Jarvis tutted, “you would do well not to get in my way again. The last time you did, it did not turn out so well for you.”
“I will not let you leave.” Asher still blocked the door, making no attempt to move away.
Jarvis seemed to chuckle to himself and turn away, lifting his cane a little in the air. As he turned, Penelope saw a flash, some kind of glinting metal as he slid it out of the cane and spun back around toward the Duke.
“Asher!” Penelope cried in panic. Asher heard her. As Jarvis pulled the thin rapier free of its hidden place in the cane, Asher jumped backed, narrowly missing the blow.
“Adam, how could you?” Margaret’s quiet words in the commotion were barely heard as Asher and Jarvis began to tussle, each one colliding with the carriage. Adam had no words to answer his sister. He glanced at Penny once then turned and ran for his own carriage.
“No!” Penny shouted and ran after him.
She wouldn’t let Adam escape now, not after all that he had done. Remembering how she had stopped him before, as she ran on the gravel drive, she bent down and picked up the biggest stones she could find, throwing them in Adam’s direction. Most missed, but as he tried to clamber into the carriage, one caught its mark. It struck him in the face, knocking him against the wall of the carriage.
“You!” Penelope called to one of the footmen who had been standing dumbstruck by the carriage. “Restrain him!”
The footman did as she asked, holding Adam back against the carriage wall. As the larger of the two men, it was an easy task for him.
“Let me go! That is an order!” Yet no matter how many times Adam made the order, the footman obeyed Penelope’s request instead of Adam’s.
“Good God, how could you do it, Adam?” she cried, her voice practically a screech as she stopped in front of him and the footman. “How could you kill your own father? My father too? And then you tried to…” She looked down at her dampened dress, thinking of the summerhouse. “How could you do any of it?”
“You have to go after what you want in this world, Penelope,” he said darkly, pushing against the footman so hard that the muscles in his neck were sinuous and strained, yet he still got nowhere. “I could be Lord Larson, if your father just hurried up to meet his death. That was something within my power. I had half of what I want. I didn’t expect the other half to be snatched away by some lecherous Duke!” He spat the words and glared at Asher.
Penelope flicked her head to the side, thrilled to see Asher was unharmed. He had somehow got the rapier out of Jarvis’ hand and knocked him to the ground. Asher and another of the coach drivers were standing over Jarvis, stopping him from fleeing again.
“How did you know?” Penelope asked, looking back at Adam. “About our…” She was going to say ‘agreement.’
“Tryst?” he scoffed, clearly showing what little he thought of her as he continued to push against the footman. “My following you all the time paid off when I followed you here. Never did I think you would make yourself a Duke’s whore.”
