Page 43 of The Penitent Duke
“Lady Rosalind. Come with me at once.”
Without a word of protest, Rosalind rushed across the room, grasping the lady’s hand. They stepped out into the hallway, Lord Westlake’s groaning following after them but neither the lady nor Rosalind gave him even the smallest glance.
“Rosalind!”
The veiled lady gasped, as the Duke rushed towards them all, and made to hurry away but Rosalind, holding her hand tightly still, refused to let go.
“Rosalind, thank goodness! Where have you been?” He grasped her shoulders, looking intently into her eyes, only for his gaze to go to the veiled lady. “You! Are you –”
“I must go.” The veiled lady tugged her hand out of Rosalind’s grasp. “Please, do not stop my departure. He cannot see me.”
Rosalind’s heart pounded. “Lord Westlake?” She saw the lady’s gaze go to the room again and knew she was correct. “I do not think that you need to fear. He had a dagger and I think he may have fallen on it.”
“Dagger?” Lady Eleanor appeared on the other side of the veiled lady who, thankfully, still had not run away. “Lord Westlake had a dagger?”
“Lord Radcliffe, if you would?”
The Duke barely glanced at his friend, holding Rosalind’s gaze but Lord Radcliffe quickly made his way to the door before hurrying inside.
“Please,” Rosalind continued, turning now to the veiled lady. “We must understand what has happened here. How did you know that Lord Wastlake wished to injure me in such a way? Why did you send a warning to the Duke for I know that it was you.”
The Duke nodded. “Please do explain all. We are both in your debt.”
The veiled lady hesitated, then turned. “There is a room here. Let us all sit down so I might explain.”
Rosalind glanced at the Duke, then followed after the veiled lady without a word. Lord Radcliffe hurried from the room, called two footmen in after him and, thereafter, came after Lady Eleanor, clearly unwilling to miss out on any of the explanation. Rosalind sat down quickly, the Duke beside her, trying to make out the lady’s features from behind her veil.
“Lord Westlake is injured.” Lord Radcliffe’s voice caught everyone’s attention and Rosalind turned her head, seeing him standing by the door as though to guard it. “The dagger he had… well, it looks like he stabbed himself with it by accident when he fell.”
“Goodness.” Rosalind put one hand to her heart. “Will he recover?”
“I believe so, though it will take time,” Lord Radcliffe told her, and Rosalind did not know whether she felt any joy or relief in that. “The injury was not overly deep. Though quite why he had a dagger, I cannot understand.”
The Duke put one arm around Rosalind’s shoulders, coming to sit close to her. “I believe he is the one who caused those other two accidents, yes?” he asked, as Rosalind nodded, closing her eyes for a moment or two. “But I do not know why.”
“Because,” Rosalind answered, her hands gripping together as she forced the words out. “Because he wanted to punish you, Strathmore. He said that as you were responsible for the death of Lady Pearl, so he would be responsible for the death of someone close to you in return. The guilt and shame that you bore would be doubled, and all because of what you supposedly did.” Reaching out, she took his hand. “Though I do not think you are responsible.”
“Nor do I,” Lord Radcliffe added. “It was unfortunate and –”
“And it was not true,” said the veiled lady and, in one swift motion, took off her veil and let it fall to the couch beside her.
Rosalind did not know who it was she was looking at. She did not recognize the lady, had never seen her before and yet the way the Duke responded – with a gasp of shock as he reeled back – told her thatheknew precisely who this was.
“Lady… Lady Pearl?”
Chapter Nineteen
Lucian stared in shock at the lady before him, everything he thought he had known and believed pulling together and then shattering apart. She was just as he remembered her, though there were shadows under her eyes. The way she was clasping and unclasping her hands told him of her nervousness but all the same, he could not speak.
“Lady Pearl?” Lord Radcliffe strode forward, staring at the lady as Lucian tried to take in a breath, his chest feeling tight and painful. “I thought…”
“You thought I had died,” she said, pressing her lips tight together as she looked to Lucian who, after a moment, managed a nod. “I know. I am truly sorry for the pain and the suffering you must have endured but we were not in love, Strathmore, and I never believed for a moment that you would take the guilt upon yourself in the way I have heard.”
Lucian tried to speak, struggled and coughed, only for Lady Rosalind to rise up, pour a brandy and then hand it to him. Grateful, Lucian took a mouthful, letting the heat wash through him as Lady Rosalind sat down beside him again. She did not take his hand but he felt her eyes on him all the same, no doubt wondering what it was that he was thinking.
“I thought I was responsible,” he managed to say, no longer looking at Lady Pearl but down at the brandy in his hands. Somehow, that was easier. “I thought your death was my doing.”
“I am truly sorry for that.” There was pain in Lady Pearl’s voice and Lucian, his chest still heaving, lifted his gaze to hers. “I never once imagined that you would feel yourself responsible. I knew there would be the mourning period but I could not believe there would be any real mourning. We were engaged, yes, but there was no real affection between us, no closeness.”
