CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jasper promenaded up the grand stairs at Middlebury Manor with Camilla on his arm.
She’d outdone herself, had dressed like a queen or perhaps a famous actress. Her gown was sewn from a shiny green fabric, with black piping and lace as highlights. Her magnificent green bonnet had black lace and piping too. A dramatic feather trailed behind.
She looked glamorous and striking and precisely the sort of beauty an important personage such as himself would keep as a companion.
He peered at the front doors, expecting the butler to yank them open, but Jasper’s arrival hadn’t been noticed. To his consternation, there didn’t seem to be many servants in residence. From the time they’d turned up the lane, the place had appeared almost deserted.
No one had rushed up to tend their carriage or help them out. There were no men toiling away out in the fields, no horses running in the pasture. Not that he had many horses left. He’d had to sell most of them to square some gambling debts. He didn’t worry about his other bills, but a gambling debt! Well! A gentleman had to have some standards.
They strolled into the foyer on their own, with still no butler in sight. There were traveling trunks stacked on the floor—as if someone was moving out.
Flummoxed, he stood, assessing his surroundings. The staff’s lack of attention was infuriating, and the minute he was back in town, he would send a livid letter to Des, informing her to control the servants or else!
Footsteps sounded down the hall, and he glared over to find Helen walking toward them. To his stunned surprise, her scandalous father was with her.
“Hello, Cousin Jasper,” she said, “I just heard that you’d pulled in. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to welcome you.”
“Where are the footmen today?” he snapped. “There was no one to meet my coach or to greet me properly. Honestly, Helen, Des was kind enough to give you the position of housekeeper, but I haven’t witnessed any sign that you’re up to the job.”
At the mild scolding, she simply smiled. “Yes, I am awful at managing things. I admit it.”
“You admit it?”
“Yes.” She gestured to Simon Barnes. “You remember my father, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, and I can only ask why he’s strutting about like a peacock. I can’t imagine how you would suppose such a notorious fellow should be in my home.”
“Hello, to you too, Jasper,” the defrocked preacher cheekily said. “You always were a horse’s ass, so I won’t pretend it’s a pleasure. But I guess it hardly matters now.”
Jasper huffed with offense. “Get out, you impertinent devil!”
Simon merely chuckled, then he spoke to Helen. “I’ll see you at supper—if not before.”
Then he sauntered off as if Jasper hadn’t just ordered him to depart.
“Simon!” Jasper called.
The man glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, Jasper? What is it?”
“Weren’t you listening? You are to vacate the premises. I won’t tolerate your presence another second.”
Simon continued on without a response, and Jasper was astounded. He’d never been treated so shabbily. And with Camilla watching all! No doubt about it, Des was in for a massive dressing down.
He whipped his irate gaze to Helen. “Explain yourself.”
“I really can’t at the moment. Is Desdemona with you?”
“No.”
“That’s too bad. She should hear this.”
“Hear what?”
She didn’t answer. “Follow me, Jasper. You’re expected.”
“By whom?”
Again, she didn’t answer, but switched her focus to Camilla. “May I ask your name?”
Jasper replied for her. “This is my special friend, Miss Robertson.”
He imbued the word friend with extra emphasis, wanting Helen to realize that a salacious relationship was being pursued, but she displayed no heightened interest.
“Let me show you into the receiving parlor,” she said to Camilla. “You can wait there.”
“She’s not waiting in the parlor,” Jasper scoffed. “We’ve traveled from town, and we’re tired. We’ll head upstairs to wash and rest, then I’d like trays brought up. You can put Miss Robertson in Des’s suite.”
It was a brash request, but he made it anyway, even as he peeked out the open door, disturbed to note that no one had approached his coach. No one had grabbed his and Camilla’s bags. Why weren’t footmen traipsing up behind him to lug them inside?
Clearly, Helen was an incompetent disaster, and she would have to be fired at the earliest opportunity.
“You and Miss Robertson won’t be allowed upstairs,” Helen had the temerity to say.
“Don’t be ridiculous, and don’t argue with me. Our chambers had better be ready, and if they’re not, I’ll know why!”
She sighed with exasperation. “Would you come with me? And Miss Robertson? Find a seat somewhere. Jasper will join you in a few minutes.”
Helen led him down the hall, and he was so bewildered by her lack of respect that he couldn’t decide how to react. He peered back at Camilla. “Just…sit down. I’ll see what’s happening.”
Camilla had quite a strong character, and she stomped over to Helen, towering over the petite woman in a threatening fashion. “I will accompany Jasper, you little tart. Don’t try to dissuade me. It will be a cold day in Hades when a servant commands me.”
“Too right, Camilla.” Jasper preened, liking that she’d stood her ground.
But Helen wasn’t intimidated. “I understand your position, Miss Robertson, but your opinion is irrelevant. You won’t be permitted in the room.”
Camilla gasped with outrage, and a full-blown quarrel might have ensued but, farther down the hall, a man emerged from the library. He was tall and broad, dressed like a bandit or a pirate, complete with flowing white shirt, black boots, and a gold earring in his ear.
To Jasper’s astonishment, he was armed to the teeth, knives hanging from his belt, a pistol at his side. Jasper blanched, wondering if the house was under attack, if they were being robbed by a highwayman.
The man marched toward Jasper, his powerful strides rapidly bringing him out of the shadows so his features were observable. They were toe to toe, and as Jasper stared up into his handsome, bronzed, aristocratic face, he could have fainted from shock.
His knees were suddenly so weak that he had to brace a palm on the wall so he didn’t collapse to the floor.
“Hello, Jasper,” his cousin, Hayden, said, and he grinned an evil grin. “Long time no see.”
“Hay…Hay…Hay…Hayden…”
He muttered his cousin’s name over and over, worried that he might be suffering an apoplexy. He was dizzy and woozy and couldn’t catch his breath.
“I’ve shocked you.” Hayden snickered.
“This can’t be,” Jasper mumbled. “It’s not possible. It’s just…not.”
“Are you all right, Jasper?” Helen asked. “Would you like to sit down?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he claimed, but he wasn’t.
Visions of calamity shot through his mind, and he couldn’t process what he was witnessing.
Hayden had been deceased for ten years, and Jasper was Earl of Middlebury. Yet if Hayden was alive, then Jasper wasn’t anything. Was he? He’d have to revert to being the ordinary person he’d been before Fate had raised him up to the loftiest circles in the land.
“What…what…are you doing here?” he stammered.
“I’m back, I’m home, and I want you gone. Immediately.”
Camilla bustled up, and she sneered at Hayden. “Who are you, sir? You’ve upset the Earl, and you must remember your manners…and your place.”
Hayden slid his caustic gaze to her in a sort of terrifying slow motion. “Who are you?”
“I am Camilla Robertson, special friend to the Earl.”
“His mistress, do you mean?” Hayden asked. “I can’t believe he’d have the nerve to cheat on his wife. He’s not brave enough to commit adultery.”
Camilla was never one to be rendered speechless, but the crude comment stymied her. She regrouped quickly though, pulling herself up to her full height.
“Shut your mouth!” she spat with incredible venom.
“I don’t think I will,” Hayden smoothly replied.
A second man walked up behind Hayden. He was older than Hayden, but he looked just as tough, and he was just as heavily armed.
“You’re being a pest, Miss Robertson,” he said to Camilla.
“If I am, it’s certainly none of your affair.”
“Your presence is not necessary for this discussion,” he retorted.
“Who are you, sir?”
“I am Hayden Henley’s special friend, Robert Stone, and I’m afraid I have to insist that you depart.”
“I won’t!”
He ignored her protest, grabbed her, and yanked her away. She shrieked with offense, but he dragged her outside. He slammed the door after them, and shortly, her ranting faded.
The hallway grew eerily quiet.
Hayden glared at him, his disdain clear, and Jasper felt petty and small. His Henley relatives had always left him feeling that way. They’d been true aristocrats in the very best sense of the word.
Hayden was a prime example of how blood could make a man. He was handsome and commanding. Even as a young boy, he’d stroll into a room and people would stop and stare. He’d always been magnificent and imposing, and now apparently, he was deadly and dangerous too.
Where had he been? Why had he stayed away?
It had been an entire decade, long enough for Jasper to have forgotten what it was like to be common. He couldn’t return to those dreary days! He wouldn’t!
“Is there something you’d like to say to me?” Hayden asked.
“Not really.”
“Not really? You don’t need to apologize or beg my pardon?”
“For what?”
“For ruining Middlebury. For hurting my tenants and servants.”
“I didn’t ruin Middlebury!” Jasper shifted his scathing focus to Helen. “What is your role in all this?”
“My role?” She frowned. “I was minding my own business, and he showed up out of the blue.”
“A likely story,” Jasper seethed.
“As soon as he told me who he was, I wrote you at once.”
“You’re fired!” Jasper huffed.
Hayden laughed derisively. “She doesn’t work for you, Jasper.”
“Who does she work for then?”
“For me, you dolt. I guess the reality of your situation hasn’t settled in.”
“I don’t care if you’re back,” Jasper fumed. “I’m earl, and you’re not. I won’t relinquish my spot. Get out!”
Hayden simply rolled his eyes. “Pay attention, Jasper. It’s not your house any longer.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Where are my sisters?” Hayden inquired, abruptly changing the subject.
“How would I know?” Jasper lied.
“You have no idea?” Hayden asked. “Seriously? After all the damage you’ve caused through your neglect and incompetence, are you sure that should be your answer?”
Helen stepped to Jasper, her expression troubled. “Can you truly say that to him, Jasper? They’ve never visited or contacted you? You’ve received no letters?”
Helen visually beseeched him to be honest, but Jasper pushed her away, feeling like a rabbit in a trap with the hounds approaching. In another second or two, he’d be ripped to shreds.
“I have no information about them,” he blustered. “I’m not their nanny, and they weren’t my responsibility.”
“What does that mean?” Hayden demanded. “You tossed them out of Middlebury? You cut all ties? What?”
“I sent them to London to make their own way in the world. Why should I have had to support them? They were nothing to me, and I wasn’t about to cover their paltry expenses.”
He hoped the news would infuriate Hayden. He didn’t have many arrows in his quiver, but he assumed a rude remark about his siblings would do the trick. He hated to be so boorish, but he was overcome by distress and desperate to exhibit some aplomb.
He liked Hayden’s sisters, but he’d agreed with Des that he didn’t have the funds to guide three young ladies through their debuts, dowries, and weddings. He wasn’t a bank! And they’d managed.
That shrewish teacher at their school had enrolled them with Mrs. Ford’s Employment Agency. They’d toiled away at good jobs in good homes. It wasn’t as if they’d starved on the street.
“You sent them to London,” Hayden muttered. “They were the daughters of the Earl of Middlebury, and you sent them away? Are you telling me you haven’t heard from them since then? In ten years?”
“No, sorry.”
“So…any tragedy could have befallen them.”
Jasper shrugged. “I suppose.”
He’d never met a man with Hayden’s sort of past, so he couldn’t have understood how enraging his flip reply would be. Before he realized what was occurring, Hayden punched him as hard as he could.
He knees buckled, and he crumpled to the floor. Hayden looked as if he might hit him again, but Helen leapt between them.
“We’re not brawling in the foyer.” Her tone was scolding. “Stop it!”
Mr. Stone stomped up, Camilla nowhere in sight. He reached down and lifted Jasper to his feet. Jasper was swaying, his nose bleeding.
He wasn’t a terrible person, and he felt awful to have taunted his cousin. His comments had been overly spiteful, and he wished he could swallow them down and slink away. Helen was glowering with disappointment and Hayden with malice.
“I shouldn’t have said that about your sisters,” Jasper mumbled.
“No, you shouldn’t have, and if you mention them again, I’ll beat you to a pulp.”
“I’m sure they’re fine.”
Hayden raised a fist and delivered the blow he’d promised. Jasper collapsed again. Helen tsked with aggravation and yanked Hayden out of range.
“Hayden! Desist! At once! You’re not brawling! I refuse to permit it.”
Mr. Stone appeared bored with the entire meeting. He bent down and lifted Jasper, holding him as he rocked from side to side and tried to maintain his balance.
“I’ve written to my lawyer, Mr. Thumberton,” Hayden said to Jasper.
Thumberton was a costly attorney who served all the best families. In the early years, he’d served Jasper too until Jasper’s finances had started to plummet and he couldn’t pay the man’s excessive fees.
“What have you told him?” Jasper asked, as he pulled a kerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his bloody nose.
“Exactly what you’d imagine. After a decade in the grave, I’ve returned with a vengeance, and he’s to begin the process of retrieving what is mine.”
“You can’t just…just…take things from me.”
“Haven’t you figured it out, Jasper? I already have.”
He burst into tears. “But what will I tell Desdemona?”
“Why would I care how you explain it to that shrew?”
“This is so unfair,” Jasper complained. “It’s not right.”
“I’ve packed your belongings,” was Hayden’s response.
“You can’t do that!”
“Aren’t you listening, Jasper? I already have. Give Helen your address in town, and we’ll send a wagon.”
“I guess I’ll…I’ll…be at the town house.”
“You guessed wrong. I’ve had the locks changed, and I’ve had your name removed from the bank accounts.”
It was gradually dawning on him that the money was ending, his status was ending, his elevated life was ending. He’d been Earl of Middlebury for ten glorious years, but what was he now?
He’d never fully appreciated the affluence and luxury that had been bestowed on him through an accident. Des had convinced him they’d deserved the largess that had been dumped on them, but they’d taken it all for granted.
They hadn’t been good stewards. They hadn’t protected anything or built anything. Who would stand with them during this hideous period? Who might fight on their behalf to reverse such an injustice?
They had no true friends, and he couldn’t think of a single person.
“Where will I live?” he asked. “How will I support myself?”
“I might be persuaded to furnish you with a small stipend,” Hayden said, “but it depends on what I learn about my sisters. If they’ve been imperiled, you won’t receive a penny from me. Ever. And I’ll murder you besides.”
“Your sisters are fine! I swear!”
“Get out of my house!”
“Can we talk about this? I need a few minutes to…to…”
Helen clasped his arm. “I’ll show you out, Cousin Jasper.”
She led him away from Hayden and briskly walked him toward the front door. He managed a glance at his cousin.
Hayden looked livid and dangerous and completely in his element, like an ancient warrior who’d survived numerous great battles. Jasper had always wished he could pose like that, that he could look like that, but he was a lesser version of Hayden. He knew it. Everyone knew it.
In her letter, Helen had warned him that there was an interloper on the property, but Jasper hadn’t taken the news seriously. He’d assumed he would chase away the imposter, then loaf in the country with Camilla, but every bit of his wealth and pomp was forfeit. How had he arrived at such a wretched spot?
Helen guided him out, and Mr. Stone marched behind them so Jasper couldn’t yank away and storm back inside.
“Will you return to London, Jasper?” Helen asked.
“I can’t decide. I’m so confused.”
“I’m sorry for all of this. I realize it’s shocking, and I can’t imagine how you’re feeling.”
Helen gestured to the carriage. Camilla was next to it, pacing and eager to quarrel.
“You should escort Miss Robertson to London,” Helen said, “then you have to find Des and notify her of what’s transpired. You have to find your wife, Jasper. You have to discuss this with her.”
“Des will kill me.”
“It’s not your fault,” Helen kindly advised. “It’s not anybody’s fault. Fate took him away, but it seems Fate brought him back.”
Jasper halted and gazed at her. “What am I to do, Helen? Tell me.”
“I did tell you. Hurry to London and find Desdemona. Beyond that, I have no suggestions except perhaps—in the future—you should try to reconcile with Hayden. At the moment, he’s incredibly angry, but he’ll calm down. It would be in your fiscal interest to be on better terms with him.”
“I suppose.”
“You could start by providing information about his sisters. I’m certain you possess plenty.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Where will you be?”
“Ah…ah…at Des’s mother’s? That’s where she’s staying, so I’ll probably stay there too.”
“I’ll send your belongings there, and Hayden will be in touch. I’ll make sure of it.”
They’d reached the carriage, and Camilla saw his swollen, bloodied nose.
“What happened to you?” she fumed. “Were you hit? Was it that brigand in the house? He hit you?”
She appeared as if she’d stomp inside and give Hayden a piece of her mind. If Mr. Stone hadn’t been there, she might have attempted it, but he was a fierce fellow, and Camilla recognized that he was.
“Let’s go, Camilla,” Jasper murmured.
“We’re not leaving, Jasper!” she said. “You can’t depart while that monster is in your home. I won’t allow him to run you off.”
If only it were that easy…
“Let’s go,” he repeated. “I’m too distraught to argue about it.”
Helen opened the carriage door, and she glared at Camilla, visually ordering her to get in. They engaged in a staring match, and Jasper was stunned to discover that Helen had a bit more spine than he might have predicted.
Camilla was completely cowed, and she whipped away and climbed in. Jasper climbed in after her, but Helen had to steady him on the step. He was dizzy and disoriented and felt as if he might just fall over. Or curl into a ball and cry like a baby.
Helen shut the door, and Camilla leaned out and threatened, “We’ll be back—with the authorities!”
“I doubt it,” Helen retorted.
“Camilla, please,” he said. “Be quiet for once.”
“I won’t be, Jasper. Someone has to take your side. These people are your enemies.”
“I have to proceed on to London. I’ll explain the situation on the way.”
Mr. Stone stuck his head in. “Hayden will want this coach. We’ll convey you to wherever it is you’re currently traveling, then we’ll have a driver fetch it. Watch over it for him. If you scratch it or wreck it, he’ll expect you to reimburse him.”
Jasper was too astounded to bicker over it, but Camilla snapped, “Stop badgering him.”
“I can’t,” Mr. Stone said. “It’s too entertaining.”
He sauntered away and signaled to the driver. The vehicle lumbered off, and Jasper peered out the window, studying the manor as they circled the drive, as they rolled down the lane. Very quickly, it vanished from view.
A ferocious silence descended, and Camilla gaped at him, scrutinizing his ruined nose, his blood-stained clothes.
“What was that about, Jasper?” she demanded. “Who was that blond man? Why was he in your home?”
“He’s my cousin, Hayden.”
She scowled. “Hayden…Henley? Is that what you’re claiming? He’s your dead cousin, Hayden? It’s really him? He’s alive?”
“Apparently.”
“Where has he been all these years?”
“Who knows?”
“You can’t permit him to move in and seize control.”
“How could I have prevented it?”
“You’re not an earl anymore, are you?”
“No, I don’t believe I am.”
“You’re nobody now.”
“No. Not after he tells everyone who he is.”
“What about the house you rented for me? What about my servants and my carriage?”
“I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to keep them. I might be about to have a few financial problems.”
She assessed him meticulously, the interval playing out, then she started to laugh. Her mirth grew, and she laughed harder and harder, until tears ran down her cheeks, and she sounded quite mad.
“What’s so funny?” he grumbled. “In light of my dilemma, I can’t think of a single topic that’s hilarious.”
“I picked you to rescue me, but there’s no rescue to be had.” She shook her head with disgust. “I allied myself with you of all people. I’m a dunce and a fool.”
“We like each other so much. We can still be friends. Naught has to change.”
“You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not joking. Everything can stay the same. Why shouldn’t it?”
She flashed such a derisive glower that he sank into his seat.
“Shut up, Jasper. Just shut the hell up.”
She nestled into the corner and closed her eyes.
* * * *
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Helen stood in the door to the library. Hayden was over by the window, gazing out at the park.
“Jasper left,” she said.
“Good.”
“Mr. Stone and I watched until he disappeared down the road.”
She was never sure how to act around him. She had no connection to him and had no role except that they’d become friends in an odd way, and she couldn’t bear that he was hurting.
She went over to him, and he was so furious he was trembling, his temper at a fevered pitch. She rested a hand on the center of his back, rubbing in slow, soothing circles.
“That was difficult for you,” she murmured.
He shrugged. “I’ve endured much worse. I’ll survive.”
“I thought you might kill him.”
“I wanted to.”
“I’m relieved you didn’t.”
“He was lucky you were there to stop me or I can’t predict how it might have ended.”
She chuckled. “Who would ever have imagined I would be Jasper’s champion?”
“I’d forgotten what a pathetic buffoon he is.”
“He never had the skills to manage this place. Desdemona either. They weren’t raised to it as you were.”
“I hate him,” he vehemently muttered.
“I know, but take a few deep breaths. You have to calm down.”
“The entire encounter was ugly. I wish you hadn’t witnessed it.”
“I’m glad that I could be there for you.”
He spun to her, and without hesitating, he drew her into his arms, and he kissed her passionately, desperately. He seemed perched on a perilous cliff and could easily tumble over the edge. She was the only barrier that could keep him from falling.
She kissed him back, imbuing the embrace with all the affection and tenderness she could muster. She was anxious for him to feel how much she cared about him, how much he meant to her.
They continued for an eternity, his emotions pummeling her. She held him and caressed him and whispered comments of comfort and concern. Gradually, the tempest waned, and over by the door, a man cleared his throat. Hayden straightened and turned to see who had interrupted.
It was her father, and he grinned at them like the cat that had caught the canary. She tried to skitter away, to put some space between her and Hayden, but he linked their fingers so she couldn’t escape.
“Don’t mind me,” her father said. “There’s an excellent array of liquor in this room, and I’d like to pour myself a brandy.”
“Pour it, Simon,” she scolded, “then go away.”
He studied Hayden, then he moved to the sideboard and dispensed a tall glass. She and Hayden stared at him, waiting for him to leave.
He headed out, cradling his glass of liquor, but before he exited, he toasted them.
“My daughter’s a lovely girl,” he said to Hayden. “Don’t you agree?”
“She’s a very lovely girl,” Hayden responded.
“I’m delighted you noticed.”
Then he strolled out, a definite swagger in his stride.
She snorted with amusement. “That was awkward.”
“Your father is an interesting man.”
“Interesting is not the word I would use to describe him. Can he stay at Middlebury for a bit? Just until I figure out what to do with him? Desdemona ordered me to bar the door to him, but I can’t force myself to treat him that way.”
“It’s a big house.”
The reply didn’t really answer her question, but she convinced herself that her request had been granted.
Suddenly, she felt that she was the one out on a cliff and about to tumble off. “Would you sit down for a minute? I have to talk to you about an important issue.”
“What is it? From your dour expression, I’m betting I won’t like it.”
“It’s regarding a remark Jasper made.”
“Now I’m certain I won’t like it.”
“I had decided not to mention it, but it would be wrong for me to remain silent.”
“I’d better brace myself with a drink.”
Mr. Stone entered, and she sighed with relief. In her dithering about whether to confess her secret, she’d thought to confide in Mr. Stone, but she hadn’t had the chance. He’d help her muddle through the tricky interlude.
“Hello, Mr. Stone. I’m glad you’re here.”
He nodded to her. “Did you tell Hayden his cousin departed?”
“Yes, I told him. Would you join us? I have to explain a difficult subject to him, and I’d like you to listen in. Actually, I need you to listen.”
Mr. Stone’s brows rose. He and Hayden shared a potent visual exchange, then Hayden went to the sideboard and poured them both a whiskey. He came over and offered one to Mr. Stone. They stood together, glaring at her.
She gestured to Hayden. “Sit.”
“Is it that bad?” Mr. Stone asked.
“It’s not bad precisely,” she apprised them. “I simply can’t have him going off half-cocked.”
“If it’s horrid,” Mr. Stone said, “I doubt we’ll be able to stop him.”
Hayden obliged her for once by plopping down on the sofa. She recalled how exhausted he’d been the prior night. He was likely still incredibly fatigued. Mr. Stone hovered behind him, a stern sentinel to protect him from any harm she might try to inflict.
“Is one of your sisters named Abigail?” she inquired.
“Yes. Why?”
“You asked Jasper about your sisters, and he claimed he had no information, but he was lying.”
“Of course he was.”
“I want to show you something, but you have to promise you’ll remain calm.”
“I won’t promise that, so what is it?”
“I was cleaning Jasper’s desk the other day, and I found a wedding invitation. There was a letter with it too.”
“Why would I care about that?”
“It’s from Abigail Henley.” She paused, her announcement sinking in. “She’s marrying in September, and she was hoping Jasper would walk her down the aisle.”
“You think it’s my sister?”
“The bride is Abigail Henley. Do you have a cousin or niece named Abigail?”
“Not that I know of.”
“So it’s probably her.”
“Abigail is getting married. I can’t believe it.” He stared at the floor, then he murmured, “She’s twenty-five this year. I suppose it’s high time.” He extended his hand. “Let me see the invitation.”
She dawdled forever. She was about to set in motion a hazardous situation that—once started—couldn’t be altered or halted. She couldn’t guess where it would end, but she was so afraid it wouldn’t be in a good place.
“Swear to me—after I show it to you—you’ll stay where you are and discuss it with Mr. Stone and myself. If you can’t, we’ll discuss it after the incident with Jasper has faded. I realize you’re distraught over his visit and—”
“Helen!” He cut her off. “Give me the blasted invitation.”
“All right, all right.”
She might have been out of her body, watching some other idiotic woman trudge over and present it to him. She stepped away, not eager to be in close proximity when he discovered the identity of the groom.
He read the words over and over and over again. After a lengthy interval, he muttered, “Oh, my sweet Lord.”
He lifted it over his shoulder, and Mr. Stone snatched it away. He read it too, and he gasped.
“Your sister is marrying Alexander Wallace?”
“It appears she is.”
“Are you positive it’s the same man? There must be thousands of Wallaces in the kingdom.”
“It’s Alexander Wallace of Wallace Downs,” Hayden pointed out.
“So it is,” Mr. Stone said. “When we travelled through his village that day, there was gossip about it in the tavern. There were streamers and flowers on his fence posts. Remember?”
“Yes, I bloody well remember.”
“I told you to kill him while we were there,” Mr. Stone said. “You should have listened to me.”
“Yes, I should have,” Hayden agreed.
“Shall we slay him now?” Mr. Stone asked. “We can ride back. It’s not too late.”
“Absolutely not!” Helen jumped to insist. “You’re not slaying him.”
Mr. Stone scoffed. “I’m sorry, Miss Barnes, but it’s not up to you. Alex Wallace has deserved killing for a decade or more.”
“No one deserves to be killed, Mr. Stone.”
“How little you know of the world, Miss Barnes.” He turned to Hayden. “Let’s go, Hayden. We can saddle the horses and put in a ton of miles before dark. We can be there at dawn and murder him when he least expects it.”
“Mr. Stone!” Helen barked. “I had you join us so you could be the rational voice during this discussion.”
“That was your first mistake,” Mr. Stone snidely retorted.
“Hayden! Ignore Mr. Stone!” Helen leaned down so they were nose to nose. “I want you to ponder this dilemma and…ah…perhaps speak with my father about your options.”
“Your father?”
“He’s a minister, Hayden. He always has been, and he’s very insightful, very steady in a crisis. He might have some pertinent comments about anger and forgiveness and how you should proceed.”
“I’ve already decided how to proceed.”
She snuggled herself onto his lap. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead, and she pushed it away. “I’m asking you to think about this overnight. I’m begging you to think about it overnight. Please?”
He assessed her, and the sweetest sense of connection passed between them. Then he chuckled, but with exasperation.
“When you gaze at me with those big green eyes of yours, I can’t refuse you.”
“Just for tonight. We’ll talk, and we’ll debate, and we’ll come up with a plan.”
“You and your talking.” He glanced up at Mr. Stone. “We can leave at dawn, and we’ll ride like the wind. I can murder him in the afternoon as easily as I can in the morning.”
He grabbed her waist, set her aside, and marched out of the room.