Page 15

Chapter fifteen

Beatrice

Beatrice was finally beginning to warm up again when Alexander and Dietrich came back into the study, both of them wearing dry clothes. Guinevere had tucked her in under the blankets and moved her chair even closer to the fire, which felt so wonderful. The painful tingles in her feet were beginning to subside, her teeth were no longer chattering, and the shivering had calmed a bit.

She hadn’t expected to be so cold once she came into the warm air, but it almost felt worse than being outside.

She looked up at Alexander and Dietrich and smiled at them.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” she said. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You would have made your way back to the manor,” Dietrich said, “I have no doubts—you are one of the strongest women I know.”

“Aside from your mother,” Beatrice said with a smile. “And I owe it all to her.”

Dietrich shrugged. “She would suggest otherwise.”

“Wherever it came from,” Alexander said, “I am thankful, but I’m afraid we must discuss a more serious matter.”

Beatrice raised her eyebrows and waited for him to continue.

“We must discuss what is happening,” Alexander said. “Dietrich has expressed interest in joining our efforts.”

Beatrice glanced at Guinevere, who was frowning. “Can you tell him?” she asked, looking back at Alexander.

“No,” Alexander said.

“I see,” Beatrice said, glancing between Dietrich and Alexander. “And you want me to tell him everything?”

“That was my intention,” Alexander said. “I think having someone else on our team will be helpful.”

“Does Jenkins know?” Beatrice asked. “I might suggest getting his take on the issue as well.”

Alexander shook his head. “I haven’t been able to tell him, but he and Mrs. Jenkins should be on their way.”

“So we’ll wait for him,” Beatrice said as Rose jumped onto her lap. She began to pet the kitten, who curled up in her lap and began to purr.

Dietrich would either think they were all playing a prank on him, or he might have some insight. You never could tell with Dietrich.

“Is anyone going to actually tell me what’s going on?” Dietrich asked.

“Be patient,” Beatrice scolded. “You’re worse than a child. Wait for Jenkins to get here.”

Dietrich huffed and leaned against the wall. “You’re mean,” he said.

“You are incorrigible,” Beatrice responded with a grin.

“Are you always like this?” Alexander asked, looking between the two of them.

“Well, he is my brother,” Beatrice teased. “Of course.”

The door to the study opened, and Jenkins arrived with Mrs. Jenkins in tow. “How can we help, my lord?” Jenkins asked.

“Come and sit,” Alexander said, gesturing toward the sofa. “We need to talk.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins looked at each other. “I think this conversation needs tea,” Mrs. Jenkins said, ringing the bell by the door and instructing the maid who came running immediately to bring refreshments before sitting on the sofa next to Guinevere.

“Beatrice will explain,” Alexander began, looking at Beatrice and nodding slightly, so Beatrice took a deep breath and turned to Dietrich.

“Alexander is under a silencing curse,” Beatrice said with a grimace. “I don’t know much more than that yet. Oh, and we only have until his birthday to figure out how to break it before something is going to happen, but I don’t know what it is.”

Dietrich stood frozen, staring at Beatrice. “You’re joking, right?”

“Unfortunately not,” Alexander said, his voice deep and strong, despite the topic. “I—”

He stopped and frowned.

The kitten on her lap let out a chirp and Beatrice turned her attention to Rose. “You have something to say?” she asked. What if the dragon knew more about the curse than any of them?

“Does she know anything?” Beatrice asked Guinevere.

Guinevere tilted her head. “I suppose she could,” she said, looking at Rose. “Do you know anything about Lord Dunham’s curse?”

The dragon started chirping again, and everyone in the room turned to Guinevere the instant she finished speaking. “So, it turns out she was surprisingly informative,” Guinevere said. “She knows the sorcerer who cursed Lord Dunham, because the same sorcerer discarded her egg when it no longer had enough magic for him. She’s here because of him.”

Alexander’s mouth opened, then closed.

“And she said that he is coming back soon.”

“Is that what we’re waiting for?” Beatrice asked, turning to Alexander. “Why is he coming back?”

“We are to prepare for a wedding,” Alexander said. “I received a letter this morning.”

Beatrice frowned. “You received a letter this morning, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you before you disappeared into a snowstorm,” Alexander said pointedly. “You were still in the library, so I didn't want to disturb you.”

“And I'm assuming that the wedding is not for you?” Beatrice said, her tone just as pointed. “Given that we already had one.”

“I think we could make it for us,” Alexander said, his face turning serious. He may have been sitting across from her in a room full of people, but when he spoke, it felt like she was the only one in the room. “I would love to give you a real wedding,” he continued.

“And when are we supposed to have this wedding prepared by?” Mrs. Jenkins asked practically.

“In four days' time,” Alexander said, taking a deep breath. He stood, picking up a piece of paper and walking over to hand it to Beatrice, who scanned the contents quickly.

Dunham,

I will be there in four days’ time with my daughter. I expect a wedding prepared.

Lohndrey

“You are to marry his daughter in four days?” she asked, her voice rising as she spoke the words. “But we’re already married.”

“Indeed, we are,” Alexander said.

Beatrice's mind began to race. “That's why you wanted to marry me. If you’re already married, you cannot marry his daughter. But what will he do when he finds out?” Her voice caught.

“That’s a good question,” Alexander said, his mouth closing again.

“You don't know?” Beatrice asked.

“I hope not,” Alexander said.

Beatrice pressed her lips together. The answer didn't convince her that he didn’t know more. Did he have his suspicions? But the only way for it—

No.

It couldn’t be. “Was he the cause of the fire?” she asked quietly, dreading the answer.

“Yes,” Alexander said quietly. Beatrice's heart broke for him all over again. “My father tried—I wasn’t ready for marriage,” he said, his voice choking up.

Was it the curse or the emotion?

“Your father was a good man,” Jenkins said, his voice trembling. “I am sorry that you were left alone to deal with this, all this time. I wish I had known.”

“So your father told him you weren’t ready for marriage and tried to resist, so Lohndrey started a fire?” Beatrice asked, her voice shaky. “And you don't know what he'll do this time?”

Dietrich let out a grunt of anger, glaring at Alexander. “You put her in this danger,” he said, his voice harsh. “You knew this was a possibility, and you did it anyway.”

Alexander looked miserable. “I did,” he said, “but I didn’t know for a fact until this morning that any of this was real or that he was coming back.”

“So you chose Beatrice to be your sacrificial lamb,” Dietrich said, his voice bitter. “And you didn't tell her any of it.”

“Dietrich,” Beatrice said firmly.

“Don't you see the danger he's putting you in?” he asked, his voice softening. “Don’t you care?”

“Of course I care,” Beatrice said, her voice firm. “But Alexander wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t important. Now we need to figure out how to keep everyone safe.”

“Do you have a plan?” Dietrich asked, turning to Alexander. “Or was your plan to let Beatrice take the fall?”

“Dietrich,” Beatrice said, her tone calm. “He has gone through enough. He doesn’t need you attacking him right now.”

“I deserve it,” Alexander said. “It was my biggest regret the whole time, but I couldn’t see another way to—”

He swallowed hard, his eyes pleading with her to understand.

Beatrice hoped he could see that she was on his side, even with Dietrich’s logical points. What must it have been like to be so alone for all of this, not able to ask for counsel or even share the heavy burden for all those years?

Dietrich glared at all of them. “If you think I'm leaving you alone to deal with this,” he said to Beatrice, “you're wrong. I'm not leaving until this is over.”

“What about your job?” Beatrice asked.

He shook his head. “Even if the Duke came home tomorrow, I’m still not leaving. You’re more important to me than a job, and I’m not going to stand here and watch while they decide your future without you.”

Beatrice sighed. “Dietrich, it's not their fault. It’s the sorcerer’s fault. And now we must come up with a plan to defeat him together.”

She handed the letter to Guinevere, who looked it over herself before handing it to Dietrich.

He glanced at it, his jaw clenching.

“So we'll prepare for a wedding,” Dietrich said, leveling his gaze at Alexander. “But you will be marrying Beatrice again, not this other girl. And if anything happens to hurt Beatrice, I will kill you myself.”

“And as I said the last time you threatened me,” Alexander said, “I understand and accept it.”

“You’ve already threatened him?” Beatrice asked, glaring at Dietrich. “Did your mother not raise you to have any manners? He’s a lord. You could get in serious trouble.”

“I don’t care,” Dietrich said. “Not if you’re in danger.”

“Well, you better care for your mother’s sake,” Beatrice said with a frown. “Or know what she would do if anything happened to you.”

“She would have you,” Dietrich said, “and I intend to make sure she doesn’t lose you. So we’re preparing a wedding, but that’s not enough. What else are we doing?”