Page 51 of Taming a Beastly Duke
“Cousin, you must not do this,” Lord Edwin said, sounding so calm and reassuring despite the severity of the situation he created with the accusations aimed at Adelaide and his cousin’s failing health that Adelaide wanted to scream at him. She did not know what it was about his behavior and demeanor that bothered her, but she knew something was amiss. She wanted someone else to notice it, as well, before it was too late. Yet all she could do was watch Marcus writhe in agony and glare at her as though she was the cause of all his suffering.
Because he now believes that I am, she thought, another heartbroken sob escaping her.
“Why?” Marcus shrieked again, his voice breaking. “Why did you pretend to care? Why would you make me believe we were in love, only to destroy me like this?”
Adelaide lost her breath as she cried, her sobs falling silent but just as agonized as Marcus’s words. The raw pain in his words revealed how deeply he felt for her. His fevered murmurs had been genuine confessions. Now, instead of reveling in the revelation, she could do nothing but stare in horror as the eyes which were once so loving and tender now looked at her with vile hatred.
“Marcus, please, you must listen to me,” she pleaded. “I did not do this to you, I swear it. I would never. I was not here when you first…”
“Take her away, Constable, please?” Lord Edwin said, sharply enough to silence the entire room. “She is clearly upsetting my cousin, and his condition is too delicate for such a display.”
Adelaide looked at the gentleman with stunned horror. He was the one who had brought this situation down upon his cousin, and on everyone in the room. Yet he spoke with complete dissociation, as though he found the room in such a state of chaos and merely stepped in to calm down everything.
Charlotte was right, Adelaide thought far too late with tremendous horror. It was Edwin all along. Edwin likely also murdered her before she could tell anyone what she knew. This proves it. But I am too late to prove it to anyone else.
As the constable lead her away, Adelaide caught a final glimpse through the doorway. Lord Edwin’s satisfied smirk was the final confirmation that she had figured out what was happening. Whether directly or indirectly, he was responsible for making Marcus sick, seemingly by poisoning, which is why he had her accused of such a crime. No one else saw his expression before he hid behind a pretense of concern as he leaned over Marcus’s bed. His hand rested possessively on the extravagant headboard, where Adelaide had just stood comforting her lover only moments before.
She tried once more to plead silently with Marcus, but the door closed firmly on Marcus and their loved ones. The last expressions she saw were ones of confusion, betrayal, and anger, no one seeming to believe her innocence. Adelaide was truly alone in the darkness she faced ahead of her. Yet the worst thing of all was the memory of Marcus’s betrayed expression. It burned her heart like the poison which surely filled Marcus’s veins burned through him, seeking to slowly kill him. She did not know why Lord Edwin would want his cousin dead, but she could no longer deny that it had to be him. What she did know with certainty was that the love she and Marcus had found in each other’s arms had now been contorted into something ugly and profane by Lord Edwin’s cruel manipulation. She now understood why she had never truly trusted him, why he always made her uncomfortable, and why Charlotte ever suspected him of criminal things in the first place. Who would listen to her now, though? Would Lord Edwin be discovered as the true criminal? Or would he get away with yet another murder?
Chapter Twenty-four
The cold stone walls of Bath’s gaol slowly closed in around Adelaide as she paced her small cell. The rough blanket, nothing like the fine linens of Lochville Manor, scratched her skin, rubbing it raw as she held it around her shoulders in a useless effort to ward off the chill of shock. She still barely understood what had happened. She knew she had been framed and that the evidence had been forged. But why? Who was responsible for such a betrayal? And why would someone be trying to hurt Marcus and set up someone else for the crime?
She thought about what Marcus had muttered about Charlotte in his fevered state and how she had believed that someone must be willing to do anything to protect themselves. She felt surer than ever that she was right. However, now, she was confused and frightened, and she could not collect her thoughts to figure out who it could be. And even if she did, she was now suspected of attempted murder. There was no chance that she would be able to prove who the true culprit was.
Whispers from around the corner made her pause. She strained to listen through the solid wooden door, her heart beating so loudly that it took her a moment to understand their words.
“… the Duke’s condition has worsened,” whispered one of the guards.
Footsteps approached, and Adelaide pressed herself against the wall of the cell to keep from being seen eavesdropping through the small window in the door.
“What if it is too late for the physician to save him?” another murmured.
Adelaide felt as though a dagger had stabbed straight through her heart. Her fingers traced her lips, remembering their passionate kisses in the library. Hot tears fell down her cheeks and across the back of her hand as she thought about the taint brought upon such sweet memories by the look of betrayal Marcus had given her as the constable dragged her from the room. He had truly believed her capable of such a monstrous crime, which had shattered her heart.
However, she knew she could not blame him. The letters did appear to have been penned by her. The handwriting was not identical, but it had almost fooled her for a moment in her panicked state. She could only imagine how convincing they would have appeared to Marcus in his fevered condition.
When one of the guards grunted sharply and their footsteps became hurried and purposeful, Adelaide jumped with a start. She held her breath, trying to calm herself before she succumbed helplessly to hysteria. But a familiar voice made her nearly collapse with relief.
“Let me see my niece at once,” Helena said, her authoritative tone telling Adelaide why the guards had begun scrambling.
Adelaide leaped at the bars of her cell, sniffling as she saw her aunt. Her heart ached when she saw that Helena’s usually immaculate appearance was replaced with mussed hair, a wrinkled dress, trembling hands, and red-rimmed eyes. Despite her innocence, guilt racked Adelaide. It was because of her that her aunt was so distraught. She did not know if she could prove her innocence so that her aunt would no longer have to worry about her.
The guards led Helena to Adelaide’s cell, hovering over her shoulder. At last, Adelaide saw a ghost of the woman she knew her aunt to be when Helena glowered over her shoulder. Despite her shaky voice, her words were authoritative and her eyes were tired but cold.
“Let me in and leave us,” she growled. Only Adelaide knew that the snarl was subdued compared to Helena’s usual strict tone. Adelaide was also the only one who was not intimidated as the guards backed slowly away, shaking their heads.
“If she harms you, it’s on your head,” the first one said. The second guard remained silent as they unlocked the door to her cell.
When they were gone, Adelaide leaped into her aunt’s arms.
“Aunt Helena, please, you must believe me,” Adelaide sobbed into her aunt’s shoulder. “I would never do something like this. How could I? I never received any packages at Lochville Manor, I never left the mansion alone…”
Helena rubbed her back gently as she cried. When Adelaide heard her sniffle as if quieting her own sobs, she thought her heart would stop. She had never seen her aunt in such agony, and knowing she now was because of Adelaide was too much to bear.
“It is all right, darling,” she said softly. “I have every confidence in your innocence.”
Adelaide looked at her aunt, surprised. The evidence was condemning, indeed. Anyone could be swayed into believing Adelaide was guilty. However, she was also grateful. When an entire city judged her to be an attempted murderess, having her aunt’s gentle support was like a tether to safety in a life-threatening storm.
