Page 89 of Project Duchess
Chapter Twenty-Four
Beatrice, bleary-eyed and heartsick, was back in the kitchen helping the maid prepare supper when she heard the banging on the front door. Her pulse sped up. Dear Lord, had Sheridan already brought someone to arrest Joshua?
If so, what would she do? More importantly, what wouldJoshuado?
She didn’t want to find out. Wiping her hands on her apron, she hurried to the front, but she was too late. Joshua was already opening the door.
It was Grey. Her heart’s hammering only increased.
“What do you want?” Joshua growled, being his usual rude self.
“You have to leave now,” Grey said.
Joshua scowled. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Ignoring him, Beatrice approached the door. “Why must he leave?”
When Grey saw her, his expression softened. “Because Sheridan is on his way to fetch the constable to question Joshua. My half brother already has information that the bridge was purposely damaged, and he’s convinced that Joshua did it, then pushed my stepfather off after summoning Maurice here.”
“That’s a pack of lies, all of it!” Joshua said. “And I’d much rather stay and defend myself. If I leave, I look guilty.”
“Not if you leave without them knowing you were aware of the situation. Beatrice can tell them you went to Leicester on business. Then they’ll have to wait for your return or go after you there, where your healer can give them your alibi in person. Either way it will buy you time until we can prove you didn’t summon Maurice.”
Joshua rubbed his jaw. “I can’t prove that. It’s your mother’s word against mine.”
“And against Beatrice’s. I’m hoping they’ll take hers more seriously, given her reputation for being a woman of good character.”
Beatrice eyed him suspiciously. “Why would they take mine more seriously when you don’t?”
Remorse shadowed his features. “Ah, but I do, sweetheart. I merely had to be reminded of that by my mother.”
His mother? He’d spoken of this to his mother? She hoped that meant something, but she was afraid to put too much faith in it. He’d already hurt her more than once.
Grey shifted his gaze to Joshua. “In any case, you’d best leave here before they arrive. Because as long as they don’t see it as your fleeing to avoid them, they’ll assume they simply missed you. I’ll tell them I came to speak to you today, but you were already gone. And Beatrice can tell them—”
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll leave my sister alone with you,” Joshua said. “You had no compunction about sporting with her in her bed before. I don’t see why that has changed.”
“For one thing, I’d have something to say about that,” Beatrice said.
Joshua snorted. “You should have had something to say about it the first time, too, but you didn’t, did you?”
His face darkening, Grey surged forward. “Careful, Major. I won’t let you malign my fiancée even if youareher brother.”
“She isn’t your fiancée.” Joshua thrust his chest out. “She refused you, remember?”
Gritting his teeth, Grey took a step back. “How about this? I’ll take her over to my mother. Surely you trust your aunt with her. You can lock up this place, and when Sheridan comes here, he’ll just assume he missed you both. If he goes back and asks what you said to me, I’ll tell him you weren’t here when I came by, but Beatrice was, and I brought her back to Armitage Hall.” He wore a harried expression now. “Because once the constable gets you in his clutches, it’ll be a scandal for you and Beatrice, even if in the end he decides you’re innocent.”
“Please listen to Grey.” Beatrice was already taking off her apron and exchanging it for her wool cloak. “We’ve had to weather enough scandal in our lives. Your going to prison isn’t one I want to weather.”
Joshua leaned against the doorframe to glower at Grey. “I don’t like the idea of you being still engaged to that other woman but telling my sister that you’re—”
Grey bent forward to whisper something in Joshua’s ear.
Joshua eyed him warily. “Is that true?”
“I swear it on my honor as a gentleman,” Grey said. “My honor is unimpeachable.” He smiled at her. “Or it was until I met your sister. Then I behaved in a rather ungentlemanly fashion. My only excuse is I fell hard for her.”
While she was still basking in the promise hinted at in those words, Joshua glanced at her, then back at Grey.
