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She tried to call for help, but her mouth was gagged too, so she could make any sounds.

After flailing helplessly, she decided to calm herself and understand what exactly had happened.

She remembered talking with Joana, and the next thing she knew, she’d felt a sharp blow to the back of her head, and before passing out, she’d seen Joana glaring down at her.

Could she have done this? But why?

She’d done nothing to the woman, so why hit her on the back of the head and kidnap her? It made no sense to think that Joana was capable of something so terrible.

It was only then that Arabella heard voices coming from the doorway. She recognized the room she was in as one of the least used rooms in the wing reserved for guests. She’d been placed on the floor in the bedroom, and the voices were coming from the sitting room.

She recognized the voices as those of a man and a woman, and as she strained her ears, she realized they belonged to Joana and… Peter.

What are they up to?

“You don’t understand,” she heard Joana say.

“I do understand. More than you know,” Peter answered softly. “Let her go, and maybe she won’t even know what you’ve done.”

“No!” Joana yelled. “I cannot. You will take her once the men get here, Peter. Your absence won’t be as noticeable as mine. As such, you’re the perfect?—”

“I won’t help you hurt the Duchess.”

“She’s not the real Duchess!” Joana hissed. “She was never meant to be the Duchess. She stole what was rightfully mine, and she must be punished.”

Arabella frowned, wondering what they were talking about.

What did Joana mean by Arabella stealing what was rightfully hers? Did she perhaps?—

Oh.

The answer became so clear that it was almost frightening. Joana loved Edward and had hoped that he’d marry her.

Arabella thought back to every conversation they had, fear rising within her. She’d basically talked nonstop about her problems with Edward to a woman who was madly in love with him. It must have been such a painful experience for Joana.

Still, she frowned, wondering why Joana was dallying with Peter if she loved Edward.

“It was not her doing, Jo,” Peter reasoned, his voice thick with emotion.

Arabella felt so sad for the man whose heart Joana had just shattered. He had been in love with her, risking his job and quite possibly his life for her, but she’d been using him to bide her time.

“It was!” Joana practically yelled. “She threw herself at him like a little harlot, and my darling Edward fell right into her trap. But I’ll fix that mistake.”

A cold shiver ran down Arabella’s spine at the censure in the woman’s words. Somehow in her love for Edward, Joana had developed an unhealthy obsession.

“Joana!” Peter yelled. Arabella didn’t know what had happened, but she heard a yelp. “Snap out of it before it’s too late. You do not have to be the Duchess to be happy. You can run away with me, and we could live happily together. I love you, Joana, and I will do all I can to make you happy.”

“No. I only want to be with Edward,” Joana snarled. “Run away with you, Peter? How do you think you can make me happy? You were only a temporary distraction to scratch an itch. I don’t love you. I never have, and I never will. Edward will forever be the only man I love, and if I can’t have him, then no one can.”

Peter gasped. “You don’t mean that,” he pleaded. “You cannot mean that.”

“I do,” Joana snapped. Her voice was so cold that Arabella felt pity for the man. “Did you really think that I would ever settle for a peasant? This is real life and not one of those romance novels you love to read.”

“You have hurt me with your words, Joana.”

“That was my intention. Now, you either stand with me or against me. But I warn you, I never deal nicely with my enemies.”

“I could never be your enemy, Joana, but I want to stop you from doing something you’d regret.”