Page 50 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
“Sir,” John began, his voice steady. “I have been keeping an eye on Lord Keldbrooke. He seems…unwell.”
“He is,” Philip agreed, rubbing his temples in thought. “I need you to watch him closely. Ensure he poses no danger to my wife. Should he step out of line, I want to know immediately.”
John nodded, his brow furrowing with concern. “Understood. I will make it my priority.”
“Good. He is unraveling and I cannot allow his instability to affect her,” Philip stated, determination coloring his tone.
As John nodded and prepared to depart, Philip’s mind whirled with the discord in his marriage.
Aurelia was caught in the enmity between himself and her father, but he was determined to shield her from whatever chaos the man would unleash.
Chapter Eighteen
Aurelia paced her room, this time not because of her husband but because of the situation that had brought them together.
The conversation with the Duchesses earlier played over and over in her mind. What had started as idle gossip had quickly shifted into dangerous territory: Gabriel’s death.
“They say your father was behind it,” Catherine had whispered, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“It was a dreadful thing,” Beatrice had chimed in. “I heard it was to avoid paying back the money the Duke’s brother owed him.”
In that moment Aurelia had felt her heart stop in her chest. She had heard the accusation before from Philip, but hearing it from her new friends, so casually repeated, had left her disquieted.
Now, sitting on the edge of her bed, Aurelia tried to unravel the information she had received. “It does not make sense,” she muttered aloud. “It simply cannot be true.”
But doubt crept in. Philip believed it, and it now appeared that everyone else in his circle also did. Her father’s debts had been real; that she could admit. But murder? No, her father couldn’t have committed something so horrific.
Could he?
She wasn’t sure anymore. After everything she had found out about her father, it was as though she had never known the man.
“I refuse to believe it,” she whispered, clenching her hands in her lap. “There has to be some mistake.”
Her mind wandered to Philip. Her feelings for him were growing despite everything that had happened between them. She didn’t want to feel guilty for caring about him. She wanted to believe that she could find some way to reconcile the two men in her life.
There must be more to the story. I need to uncover the truth.
But how could she figure out the truth when her husband wouldn’t tell her and wouldn’t allow her to meet with her father?
Aurelia sighed.
There was only one person she could trust to give her answers and that was Oliver. He had always been honest with her, and if anyone knew what had truly happened it would be him.
By morning, she had resolved to visit the Viscount. She dressed quickly and quietly, unsure if Philip had returned during the night. It was better this way. She wasn’t ready to face him, not yet.
As her carriage rolled down the narrow country road toward the Viscount’s estate, she kept glancing out the window. A rider was trailing them, keeping a small distance.
Aurelia frowned, but she shook the thought away, focusing instead on the purpose of her visit. The Viscount would have the answers she was searching for.
When she arrived at his estate, he greeted her warmly but with a furrowed brow.
“Your Grace,” he asked, leading her into the sitting room, “what brings you here so early?”
“First, you must forgive me for calling on you without prior notice, but I have come for answers I am certain only you can give me.”
Oliver watched her with wide eyes.
“I have been hearing…things. About my father. About Gabriel’s death.”
