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She smiled maniacally at Edward.

Edward suppressed a shiver.

“Don’t worry, I will get rid of her, and we can live happily. I know you love me. You always have,” she said as the footmen dragged her away.

“No, Joana,” Edward called. “I never saw you as anything other than a sister, but I’m starting to regret that now.”

The eerie silence was broken as she flew into a rage.

“No, you love me. You have, and you always will!”

She screeched, attempting to free herself of her captors’ hold, screaming and kicking. Emily and the Dowager Duchess stared after her with such shock that it would have been comical under different circumstances.

“That was definitely very dramatic,” Charles mused as he stepped into the room.

“Husband!” Emily cried, running into his arms. “Are you all right?”

“I am well, wife.” He smiled down at her, pressing a kiss to her lips. “How are you?”

“Better now that you’re home.”

Edward smiled at the sweet scene but swayed on his feet.

“Edward?” Arabella gasped, holding tightly onto him.

“I’m all right.”

“No, you’re not. There is a knife in your shoulder,” she scolded. “Come, sit.”

“It’s nothing. Only a flesh wound,” he said flippantly.

“Only a flesh wound?” she cried. “You’re hurt.”

“It is nothing, wife,” he protested.

“You don’t know that.” She wept.

“Francis, get the doctor,” Harriet ordered the footman standing nearby.

The man rushed off to do her bidding.

The doctor came rather quickly, seeing as he’d been tending to Peter, the footman Joana had stabbed.

“Come, Your Grace,” he ordered. “You need to retire to your chambers.”

“There’s no need for?—”

“He’s going now,” Arabella interjected.

Edward gave in, knowing his wife would resort to several means to get him to comply.

She helped him undress, and after the doctor inspected wound, he confirmed it was a flesh wound. While cleaning the wound, her composure finally broke, and her hand started shaking as she worked hard not to break down in tears.

The numbness was starting to wear off, and it was obvious she understood how much danger all of them had been in and how worse things could have been. The Dowager Duchess noticed this and took over from her.

“Here, let me help you, dear.”

Arabella handed over the supplies and then proceeded to burst into sobs in her sister-in-law’s arms. Edward looked on helplessly, her sobs tearing at his heart.