Page 59 of Her Rogue of a Duke

A few moments later, several men dressed in greatcoats and armed with truncheons bustled through the front door and looked around with furrowed brows and confused frowns.

“What in God’s blood is going on here then, eh?” one man, likely the front-runner, stepped forward and demanded to know. Flashing a badge, he continued, “We received a tip to seize a suspect implicated in the most grievous act of murder. And why in heavens is the good Lord trussed as a Christmas goose?”

Francesca’s mouth fell open in shock.Murder suspect? This was beyond belief.

“And whose murder are we speaking of?” Joshua demanded, his tone sharp as he turned to regard them.

“Oh, Your Grace! My sincerest apologies, I did not recognize you—”

“Lord Nightingale’s,” Gerard interrupted triumphantly, still struggling against his restraints but to little avail.

“What?” Francesca gasped. “You think my father was murdered? That is preposterous!”

Gerard nodded, a malevolent grin spreading across his cheeks. “Indeed, dear cousin, I do. And I accuseyouof slaying him and concealing his body for a month to hide your crime.”

“Have you lost your wits?” Francesca cried. “I would never harm Papa—”

“Of course not,” Joshua declared with a relaxed air. “The grand chap Lord Nightingale is very much alive and well. In fact, I closed with him a business deal at Cavendish only a few nights ago. A most charming negotiator, he is. Had me footing the bill for our rounds by the night's end, the sly fox.”

Francesca whipped her head to face Joshua, stunned into silence. That could not be true. She knew her father was dead. What was he doing?

Gerard appeared just as baffled as Francesca. He gawked at Joshua, dumbfounded.

“No… no, that is not possible,” Gerard insisted, shaking his head hectically. “Campbell said… he was very clear…”

Joshua shrugged. “This Campbell fellow clearly played you for the fool to make a pretty penny, old chap. Let me guess, he has gone into hiding. Or perhaps fled the country entirely, never to be found? Happens to the best of us, man,” he spoke with a humorous tone, patting Gerard on the shoulder in reassurance.

Gerard’s expression shifted from bafflement to enraged in the span of a few seconds.

“That duplicitous scoundrel!” he bellowed. “I was a fool to trust him. When I lay my hands on him…”

Another one of the constables, a lanky fellow standing at the back, suddenly coughed. He made a show of it too. “So just to be clear, Your Grace, there isnomurder?” he added. “No suspects for us to apprehend?”

“Actually,” Joshua raised his hand to interject. “Thereisone other matter that requires the attention of you good men. Lord Gerard here threatened the life of and nearly struck Lady Francesca. I would like him arrested on the grounds of attempting assault on a lady of noble birth.”

“You cannot possibly…” Gerard began, but the constable cut him off.

“We most certainly can,” the front-runner declared, stepping forward and seizing Gerard by the arm. “Come along, my Lord. You are being taken in for assault of a lady.”

“I did not lay a finger on her!” Gerard protested as the constable began dragging him out the door. “Francesca…cousin, tell them, I never touched you,” he pleaded.

The constable did not seem interested in listening as he continued hauling Gerard out of the manor. And neither did Francesca.

When Francesca and Joshua were alone once more, she turned and stared up at him with a baffled shake of her head.

“Why did you say my father is alive?” she murmured. “They will soon discover the truth, and then both of us will be implicated…”

Joshua responded with a boyish smirk, his hands moving to cup her face again. She rather liked when he did that, she decided.

“Do not worry,” he reassured her. “I will have Warren and a couple of acquaintances working for the Crown handle that. I won’t have you fretting about your cousin, your inheritance, or your father’s death. I give you my word.”

“But when did you even discover the truth—”

He hushed her with a small kiss.

She blinked, startled, but she believed him. She trusted that Joshua and his butler would take care of everything for her. There was a part of her that cautioned against relying too much on another again, but she swiftly dismissed that thought. She had been relying on the wrong person for so long, but with Joshua, it was different. She always had complete faith in him. She decided it would be best to step back and let him untangle the web of chaos she had struggled to manage on her own.

“All right,” she muttered. “I believe you.”