Page 80 of Trapped with the Beastly Duke

“What do you mean?” Alexander’s heart rate quickened.

“I have always had questions the night your father was murdered. There were too many loose ends. Mr. Smith has given us what we need to connect them.” Mr. Hartwell glanced at the ornate box on the table. “Your seal. The men were sent here to retrieve it at any cost.”

Alexander looked down at the golden box on his desk, remembering Rose asking him if that had been what the thieves had wanted.

How is it that my darling Rose is the only one to have suspected the truth about this?

“The men were supposed to kill your father that night as well as steal the seal. The entire thing was part of Lord Verimoor’s plot. He would have had you killed, too, but after your father’s death, you and your family became impossible to reach.”

“He wanted power,” Alexander murmured, the pieces slotting into place in his mind. “With the seal and the Duke and his heir’s death, he could have done anything.”

“Indeed.” Mr. Hartwell scowled. “He has been growing his power for many years. Biding his time. But you have thwarted him. With his man’s confession and the letters he has shared with us, we will be able to lock the man up for life.”

“Good.” Alexander stood up, rage filling him. “Let him rot behind bars. Let him suffer for all that he has done.”

“Rest assured, Your Grace, we shall not let him escape justice a moment longer.”

“You have my deepest gratitude, Mr. Hartwell. Please, have some refreshments in the drawing room. I shall join you shortly. I need… a moment to collect myself.” Alexander wrestled with the fury in his chest. “There is one thing I do not understand. Why try and kill me again, after all this time?”

Mr. Hartwell’s face darkened. “Of that, I am not certain, Your Grace. All our man seemed to know was that the Earl had found something that would grant him power that would require your death.”

Alexander frowned. “Thank you, Mr. Hartwell. Please, rest in the drawing room.”

“Of course, you are most kind, Your Grace.” Mr. Hartwell bowed and left the room.

Alexander’s mind was in turmoil.

All these years. How could I have been so blind? To think it was some common robbery gone wrong. Yet, why would I suspect anything else? Father was well-loved, and a good duke.

He would find the detestable Earl, and he would make him suffer. He would take everything from him. As the Earl had taken from Alexander. Something niggled at the back of his mind but could not seem to break through his anger and pain.

A scream tore through the castle, and Alexander whirled around. His anger was replaced by unbridled panic. He hurtled through the corridors, desperate to find the source of the screaming.

A moment later, he collided with Rose’s maid, Abigail. The woman’s dress was soiled, tears streaming down her face, her hair in utter disarray. Olivia stood beside her.

“What happened?” Alexander demanded.

Where is Rose?

He saw his younger siblings and Rose’s family appear behind the hysterical woman. He gestured for them to leave and then guided the distraught maid to the nearest library.

Olivia helped her into a seat and handed her a glass of sherry for her nerves. “Come, you are safe now. Tell us what has happened.”

“They… They… In the park.” Abigail sobbed. “We were walking. They—I do not… He—We were in the forest. He…”

“Talk sense, woman,” Alexander barked, his fear getting the better of him.

Olivia shot him a look that clearly said he was not helping the situation. “Here, drink this. Come now, steady yourself. Breathe. Tell us what has happened.”

Alexander’s heart thundered, but he held himself in check as his sister tried to soothe the distressed woman before them.

“Her Grace… We were walking.” Abigail hiccupped. “He… He tricked us. I-I… I tried, Your Grace. But a man grabbed me. They tried to take both of us.”

The world seemed to crumble around him, and his heart sank to his stomach. “Who grabbed you?”

Why does my voice sound so far away?

“A man. He had greasy hair… I think it was brown. And he had a beard and the most disgusting breath.” Abigail shuddered as though trying to shake off something unpleasant.