Page 51 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford
“Wait a moment!” Lord Carmichael put one hand to his forehead, his eyes rounding. “You mean to say that it is Lord Chiddick who has done such a thing?”
Andrew kept his gaze trained on his cousin, seeing how the gentleman had gone very pale indeed. The man swayed and then turned, but Lord Wrexham was there in a moment, his hand gripping Lord Chiddick’s arm.
“It was your daughter, Lord Carmichael, who discovered the truth,” he said, clearly, so that almost every eye turned to Miss Grifford. “She saw Lord Chiddick enter the apothecary and sent Miss Renfrew in to see what he purchased.”
“And it was poison for rats,” Miss Renfrew interjected, her voice carrying across the room. “And I saw him with that vial.”
Murmurs and ripples of unease ran across the room as Andrew turned back to his cousin. Lord Chiddick had now gone very red in the face and his eyes were wide and staring, though his gaze was fixed to Andrew.
“You are the heir to the Dukedom, are you not?” Andrew spoke quietly, though he was sure that almost everyone in the room was straining to hear him. “You are not contented with being a Marquess. Instead, you wanted to take on the Dukedomas well,thatis why you killed my father and then sought to kill me. Is that not so, cousin?”
Silence fell across the room. It was the quietest that Andrew had ever heard a ball become and it was solely because of everything that was being revealed in this one moment.
He swallowed thickly, waiting for his cousin to say something, todosomething, whether that was to either flee from him or admit to what he had done.
Lord Chiddick dropped his head.
“You did not think you would be discovered, did you,” Andrew added, when no-one spoke. “But I have a friend who warned me of your intentions. Whoever that was set me on the path of watchfulness and for that, I shall always be grateful.”
Lord Chiddick lifted his head, his lip curling. “That butler,” he spat, making a few people draw back from him such was the vehemence in his voice. “That ridiculous, foolish butler whom I threw from my employ before I departed from London. He was always prying over my intentions and – ”
“And he saved my life, as did Lord Wrexham and Miss Grifford. Therefore, I shall find him and make certain that he is secure in his finances for life,” Andrew interjected, speaking over his cousin though his very heart trembled at the dark fury in his cousin’s voice. “I should have called you out over this, cousin. I should have called you to a duel but I did not trust you. I did not trust that you would not find a way to take my life from me through trickery and deceit so that you might achieve your goal.”
“And you thought to try and take the life of my daughter too?” Lord Carmichael stepped out from the crowd, pointing one shaking hand at Lord Chiddick. “Simply because she is engaged to the Duke?”
Lord Chiddick shrugged both shoulders, turning him into a character which Andrew had never before seen.
“I did not know which glass she would take and which the Duke would take,” he said simply and slowly, as though he were speaking to a child and attempting to explain himself in plain terms. “It was not about her. It was about him.”
The shriek which went up did not come from Lord Carmichael, however, but from Lady Carmichael. She rushed across the room and began to hit Lord Chiddick about the head with her face and her fists, though Lord Carmichael quickly pulled her back. Lord Chiddick attempted to stagger back and to escape, but Lord Wrexham held him fast – as well as the fact that he was now surrounded by both gentlemen and ladies of thetonwho were all glaring at him with clear and unmistakable disgust.
“Cousin.”
His voice reverberated and even those who were beginning to shout at Lord Chiddick quietened, leaving him to look straight at his cousin with a calm, steadiness in his heart and in his mind.
“We are no longer family,” he said, as Lord Chiddick looked back at him, his lip curved into a sneer. “Should you dare to come near to me or to my betrothed again, I will not hesitate. Your life will be the consequence. I believe that I have shown you great consideration in this and that has not come because of my own desire. I have come to care for Miss Grifford and knowing what sorrow and pain would be left should I have demanded a duel was enough to hold my hand back. But I shall not do so again.”
“And you have my support!” cried Lord Wrexham, beginning to march towards the door, pulling Lord Chiddick with him. “Out, Lord Chiddick! Out from this place – and out from society!”
The cry did not take long to go up around the room. Almost every person present began to sweep towards Lord Chiddick, forcing him towards the door. Andrew caught sight of his cousin’s mouth opening and closing as he shouted some things– things that Andrew could not hear – but it was with relief that he watched his cousin be pulled to the door of the ballroom and swept out from it. Turning, he walked towards the two footmen, who both looked very pale indeed.
“Your Grace, I did not know about the cakes.”
Before Andrew could speak, the footman dropped his head, his shoulders rounding though his words came tumbling out.
“I was asked only to bring them to you and to you alone. I did not know there was anything in them. My guilt has been so great that I have hardly slept but I swear to you, it was not purposeful.”
“I believe you.” Andrew waited until the footman lifted his head though he saw how the man would not look at him. “You bear no disgrace and I shall make sure that you are not thrown from your employment. You are both dismissed for the evening – and I shall reward you both for your honesty and your courage in this.” Smiling, he set one hand to the shoulder of his own footman. “Send the orchestra back in. The ball must now continue.”
“Your Grace?”
Swinging around, Andrew opened his arms and Miss Grifford rushed into them. It was not entirely proper for a gentleman to be holding a lady so close but Andrew did not care. This was what he needed and he prayed that she felt it too. Relief poured into him as he held her tight, his eyes squeezing closed as he felt her shake just a little.
“It is over,” he said quietly, pulling back just a little and looking down into her face. “It is at an end.”
“It is.” Trembling still, she managed a smile as she looked up into his face. “Is Lord Chiddick gone?”
Andrew nodded, then pulled her gently to the quiet corner of the room, the shadows wrapping over them both and hiding them from view. Most of the gentlemen and ladies were stillchasing Lord Chiddick away – though he might well be in his carriage by now – and Lord and Lady Carmichael were speaking fervently together across the room. For the moment, they were quite alone.
