Page 64 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
She quickly passed through the coat room to retrieve her shawl before walking quickly to the front door. Wrapping the shawl around her, she folded her arms and waited. It was a little time before a carriage rounded the bend of the courtyard to come to a stop in front of the doors. The door opened, and Edward stepped out. Ava released a breath she had not known she was holding.
“Where the devil have you been?” she demanded hotly.
After Mr. Michaelson’s revelation, Edward lost no time in packing his things and leaving the city. His mind kept showing him nightmarish images of the unknown gentleman coming into his home and slaughtering his family.
He prayed to a God he was not sure he believed in anymore that everyone would be all right by the time he got there. The coachman’s need to stop and change horses was a tremendous imposition, and when he suggested that they stop for the night, Edward almost ran through him with his walking stick.
“No. We keep going. Buy new horses if you have to.”
The coachman looked at him as if he had lost his mind but did as he was bid. It was still some time in the mid-morning before they arrived at Barrington Castle, and Edward was veritably vibrating with anxiety. He spotted Ava waiting at the top of the stairs and smiled. Hurrying out of the carriage, he took the stairs two at a time to come to a stop in front of her. He picked up her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.
“Where thedevilhave you been?”
She did not sound in the least pleased to see him. He looked up into her face and gave her a sheepish smile. “I suppose I have been gone longer than I anticipated. My apologies. It could not be helped.”
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “And that’s it? That is all you have to say?”
He was at a loss for a moment. “What else would you like me to say?”
“You said that you were going to file a report. How does that take a week?”
Edward looked around them, relieved to find that they were alone, the coachman having driven off with the carriage and Notley having entered the house with his bags. He took Ava by the hand. “Come, let us walk.”
She turned at once with him, and they went back down the stairs and began to walk toward the gardens. Edward tried to think of how to explain what happened.
“I do hope you are not thinking about lies to tell me. I know you were up to something,” she practically hissed.
He had to smile. “You are right. I was up to something. I was in search of information.”
“And did you find this information?” she growled at him.
“Yes and no.”
She stopped walking, rounding upon him, hands on her waist. “And what isthatsupposed to mean?” she demanded.
He sighed in defeat. “I found a picture of a man’s face. My private investigator told me that he saw this man dancing with your sister at the ball. I was concerned and came back home as soon as I could. It seems the danger is here and not in London.”
She grabbed onto him, staring intently into his eyes, her own eyes blazing. “Did I not tell you? Did I not say to leave it alone? Now look. Anything could happen to you; do you not understand that?”
He grabbed her arms, holding her close. “Do you think I wanted this? I would have given anything for none of this to have happened. But here we are, and all I can do is try my best to keep you safe by finding out who this man is.”
“Let me see it.”
“See what?”
“The picture. Give it to me.”
Edward looked up at the house before reaching into his pocket and extracting the page. It had not left his possession since he walked out of Mr. Michaelson’s office. He had not wanted to take the risk of losing it or having it stolen from his belongings. He knew the caliber of men he was dealing with, and they were not to be trifled with.
He handed the paper over to Ava. She took it and folded it and stared at the picture for a long time. Then she frowned. “But… this is the Marquess of Pemberton.”
Edward smashed the paper back and stared at it. “What did you say?”
“That is the Marquess of Pemberton. If you recall, we went to his aunt’s house the other week for tea.”
Edward could not believe his ears. “What?” He could hardly comprehend what he was hearing.
Ava nodded. “It makes sense. He said he had recently returned from the continent, and what he does there is a mystery. Is that not so?”
