Page 42 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford
“Chiddick?” Still confused, Andrew’s eyebrows knotted. “I do not understand.”
“My dear Andrew, I may be entirely mistaken but permit me to explain myself clearly,” Miss Grifford began, her voice wobbling a little. “This afternoon, Miss Renfrew and I were out walking through town and I saw your cousin step out of his carriage. I was going to speak with him, I was going to call to him simply to greet him when I saw him step into the apothecary.”
“That is not very surprising,” Andrew said, speaking slowly as he fought to understand. “Any number of gentlemen and ladies might go to the apothecary.”
“But would they go to purchase something that a servant would usually be sent for?”
Andrew sat back in his seat and released Miss Grifford’s hand, a fear beginning to writhe in his stomach like a snake. “What happened?”
Miss Grifford clasped her hands together though her eyes still fixed to his. “I sent Miss Renfrew into the apothecary for fear that I would be recognised – though he is acquainted with Miss Renfrew but does not know her particularly well. I hid in the bookshop, waited until he departed and then found Miss Renfrew again, eager to know what it was that he had purchased.”
“And what was it?”
Miss Grifford swallowed. “Laudanum, a scent of some kind and from what Miss Renfrew overheard, a poison for rats.”
“Which is not something that any gentleman would purchase,” Andrew said slowly, seeing what she meant. “A servant would be left to deal with rats. Why would a gentleman purchase such a thing?”
Miss Grifford nodded, her lip caught between her teeth for a moment before she took in another breath, blew it out and then continued. “I must ask you something, Andrew. Would there be any reason that your cousin would seek to not only harm you but also harm your father?”
Andrew sucked in a breath, shock rattling through him. He had never once considered his cousin, had never once imagined that there would be any sort of motivation for Lord Chiddick to harm not only Andrew’s father but Andrew himself – but now that Miss Grifford presented it to him, he knew exactly why Lord Chiddick might have been doing such a thing.
“I do.”
Miss Grifford gasped, her eyes rounding as though she had hoped that what she had told him would prove to be some sort of mistake, a mix-up which would not make Lord Chiddick have any sort of guilt whatsoever.
“He is the heir,” Andrew said, quietly, passing one hand over his eyes as his shoulders rounded, a weight settling upon his heart. “I have no brother to speak of, no uncles or the like. The only person who would take on my title, should I pass away from this life, would be my cousin.”
Miss Grifford closed her eyes tightly and Andrew reached out, grasping her hand and feeling how cold it was in his own.
“You have found out the truth,” he told her, hating that his heart was pounding so furiously, it felt as though he had been running for a long distance. “I think this must be it. This must be exactly what it is.Chiddickis the one who has been attempting to injure me.” Another thought came to him and sweat broke out across his forehead, a heavy breath escaping him. “He knows mypenchant for Queen Currant Cakes. That would make sense now, would it not?”
“Oh, Andrew.”
The way she spoke his name, the sympathy and the sweetness which rushed through her voice made his heart lift, despite the heaviness which grasped it and tried to drag it down.
“You are quite wonderful, Miss Grifford,” he told her, looking back into her face and pushing his fingers through hers once more, feeling the urge to hold onto her, not to release her from his grip. “I will not pretend that I am not sorrowful about this. I am not going to lie and say that I am nothing but relieved and now I shall be very contented for I am deeply troubled and rather upset. But yet, my heart is filled with a gratitude for you and what you have not only learned but the courage you have in coming to tell me – knowing that it is my cousin of whom you speak.”
Her eyes softened, her shoulders dropping in evident relief. “You can see now why I came thundering into your house as I did. I was so afraid that something would happen to you before I could reach you and when I saw Lord Chiddick there, my fear grew all the more.”
“I quite understand,” Andrew said, offering her a small smile. “I must think about what I am to do now. I do not know how I am to protect myself – and protect you – from my cousin while, at the same time, finding a way to reveal his actions to not only myself but to society at large. It is the only way I can stop him.” Letting out a slow hiss, he shook his head and looked out of the window in the hope that some sort of inspiration might come to him. “Confronting him face to face will do nothing.”
“Because he can do just as he pleases regardless of your confrontation,” Miss Grifford murmured, understanding immediately. “It must be a public confession of some sort. Hemust admit to his guilt so that thetonwill know of it and, thereafter, he will be disgraced and then rejected from society.”
“It is either that or I call him out,” Andrew replied, grimly, seeing her eyes flare with a sudden fear. “Though I do not want to do such a thing as that. I would not have bloodshed.”
“I should not want to lose you.”
The softness of her voice, the sweetness of her words and the gentle way she pressed his hand made Andrew’s heart leap up and then swell with a great and wondrous delight – a delight which warmed right through him. He knew then that he could not separate himself from this lady. Yes, it seemed as though they had found the culprit, yes, there was still a great deal for him to do as regards Lord Chiddick and yes, his intention had always been to end their courtship at the time such a thing had been made clear but, as he looked into her eyes, Andrew knew that he could not. This was not something he wanted any longer. To be apart from the lady was not something he desired and though he found himself rather afraid of what was within his heart, though he found himself troubled by all that he felt, he did not shy away from it nor shrink back.
“You will not lose me,” he said fervently, leaning forward so that he might look a little more deeply into her eyes. “No matter what happens, I assure you that you will not lose me.”
She smiled at him then, her eyes glistening just a little as he held her gaze steady.
And then the carriage came to a stop.
“Will I still see you this evening?” she asked, as he nodded. “You will still attend the ball?”
“Yes. I shall.”
