Long Live the Baron, page 19
Brendan’s pulse raced in fear at seeing Lily in peril, but he noticed that the panic in Wesley’s face had reduced slightly after he had backed out of the room.
Faith! He should have sent Lily away the morning he had found his room ransacked. If anything happened to her now, he would have only himself to blame. And he would lose the woman that … that … that he loved, damn it all to hell! He loved his new wife. He had fallen irrevocably in love with her the night of their wedding, and he could not allow her to be harmed. Not one tiny, delectable inch. It would break his very heart in two if something happened to her because of him!
Rubbing a hand through his hair, he attempted to relax. The only thing he could think to do was to talk. To negotiate with the footman for Lily’s release.
“Did you kill the baron?”
Wesley’s face scrunched with anger. “Of course not!”
“But you know who did?”
A mutinous bob of the head was the only reply.
“Is it someone in this household?”
Wesley frowned at him, shaking his head as if dealing with an imbecile. “Why would a servant want the baron dead?”
“Did someone outside of this household pay you to remain silent?”
There was a pause, followed by another bob.
“Why are you still here, then?”
“I was promised additional coin if I could find a letter that the baron had written. They needed someone inside the household to search for it.”
Brendan nodded, trying to think of a plan. “I will pay you double.”
“I am not a fool!” cried Wesley. “My only option is to leave and take the baroness with me so you cannot apprehend me.”
Shaking his head, Brendan lowered his voice, attempting to keep his voice even and cajoling, even while he struggled for composure. The idea of Lily being taken away made him want to toss his head back and howl. “If you take the baroness with you, we will be feverish in our pursuit. Perhaps … I could pay you what I have and you can tie us up so you can make your escape?”
Brendan winced. That was a terrible plan. If they submitted to being captured, then Wesley could do anything he chose. What if the man was lying, and he was merely a lunatic who murdered people?
Lily must have had a similar thought. Despite the horror of what she was experiencing, she wobbled against Wesley’s arm in response to this suggestion, her eyes so huge in her pale face. She was so tiny, engulfed in the footman’s grip, increasing Brendan’s desperation to help her. “No! You will not risk your safety for me, do you hear, Brendan Ridley? If Wesley feels he must take me, then you will allow it so you remain unharmed!”
Wesley glanced down at his captive, clearly startled by what she had said, but it did not surprise Brendan to hear his valiant bride demand such a thing of him. However, he could not conceive of letting the footman leave with his wife. If something happened to Lily, Wesley might as well bludgeon Brendan to death on the way out of Ridley House because he would never recover from letting the woman he loved be killed because of his own stupidity.
“Take me instead!”
Lily cried out, “No!”
Wesley scowled. “Are you funning me? I should take a grown man, instead of this tiny girl as my hostage?”
The reprobate had a point. Brendan wondered if Michaels might summon the runner to assist, because he was out of ideas other than to keep the footman conversing so he did not steal Lily away. Desperate men did desperate things, and Lily’s life hung in the balance.
“I will pay you everything I have in the house, and you can lock us into a room, but I beg of you … do not harm the baroness!”
As if thinking of the butler had summoned him, Brendan saw that behind Wesley the concealed door was slowly opening. Michaels peered carefully around the corner.
Brendan’s thoughts scrambled. What was Michaels planning to do? The butler was several inches shorter than Wesley and a good twenty years older than the strapping young man. Nevertheless, Brendan’s only option was to keep the footman distracted.
“Who killed the baron?”
Dead silence followed, all parties frozen at the question.
“That … is my secret. The killer will have to pay me. I will demand passage from England, and they will arrange it to hide their identity.” Wesley’s voice was hesitant when he finally responded. He was not certain he would receive help, Brendan realized. There was an opportunity to negotiate and strike a deal.
In the background, where Brendan resolutely refused to look in the event he alerted Wesley to Michaels’s proximity, the butler stepped out from behind the door.
“I do not care about the baron’s murder as much as I care about my wife. I will pay you to release her and allow you to leave without hindrance, Wesley. On my word.”
That was the moment when Brendan noticed Michaels was raising a rifle to his shoulder. Brendan wanted to shout out for him to stop, that Lily could be hit, but before he could react, the butler cocked the hammer and then pulled the trigger.
It was as if time stood still, the musketball firing from the barrel with a loud bang and belting of smoke, and Wesley crumpled to the floor, dragging Lily down under him.
“Lily!” Brendan ran into the room, dropping to his knees to pull the large footman off his wife.
CHAPTER 17
“100 soldiers who are in a desperate situation lose the feeling of fear. If there is no refuge, they will stand firm. If they are in a hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help for this, they will fight hard.”
Sun Tzu, L’Art de la Guerre (The Art of War)
Lily was curled beneath Wesley in a mild state of shock. She had heard a blast, but she did not know what it had been. The footman appeared to be insensate above her. She struggled, trying to push him off her.
Seconds later, the dead weight was lifted, and she inhaled with relief, flopping onto her back.
“Lily, are you hurt?”
It was Brendan. He was leaning over her and frantically exploring her body with warm hands that reminded her of their night of passion.
“My throat feels bruised and my knees are rather banged up. And I think I strained my wrist when I landed on it. I have quite forgotten how to breathe, and I have never been so petrified in my life, but I am thrilled that …” She raised her hands before dropping them once more, not knowing what she was thrilled about, or what had just happened. Not a great time to babble, Lily Billy!
“What happened?” she continued. Brendan gathered her up in a hard embrace, which felt heavenly after the strain of being subdued by the demonic Wesley whom she had believed to be kind.
“And what are you doing here?” she ended.
Brendan shook his head against her neck, continuing their embrace for what seemed an eternity before raising his head.
“What the hell, Michaels?”
The butler’s response was stated in his usual dry tone. “I was protecting the baroness.”
“With a firearm? What if you had missed?”
Lily heard Michaels tut behind her, but she was ecstatic to be in Brendan’s arms so she did not look about.
“I know that runner of yours must have informed you that my father was the gamekeeper, so I hardly need to state that I know my way around a rifle. Not to mention, her ladyship is a good foot shorter than this beast.”
There was a soft thud behind her. Had the butler kicked something?
Rifle! Michaels shot Wesley?
Her husband’s face returned to rest against her neck. “Thank you.”
“It is my pleasure, milord. Shall I send someone to summon Briggs?”
“Yes.” Brendan was wrapped so tight around her she could scarcely breathe, but unlike when Wesley had held her captive, Lily was happy to allow it. Her hand stole around Brendan’s waist. She realized he was pressing kisses into her hair just as he cupped her chin, his warm lips finding hers. Lily sighed in happiness, kissing him back and feeling weightless as Brendan lifted her in his arms to stride from the small drawing room.
“John, find a sheet to cover the body until the coroner arrives and meet us in the drawing room at the top of the stairs.”
Ridley House was running out of rooms for them to use, Lily mused in a haze as she snuggled into her husband’s broad chest.
Brendan carried her down the hall, up the stairs, and into the bigger drawing room on the next floor. Striding over to the windows which faced the street, he sank into the faded navy settee and held her close, not saying a word as he lowered his cheek to the crown of her head.
Lily did not mind, not even a little bit. She found herself in a befuddled state after everything … whatever … had happened downstairs, and she was blissfully giddy to be held in his arms. Perhaps she was just giddy after the assault by Wesley, not to mention the difficulty breathing when the footman had choked her. Nevertheless, she was blissful at being reunited with Brendan when she had believed she might never feel his embrace again. She refused to allow her thoughts to wander to what had just happened, just soaking in the joy of being alive after the terror of staring death in the face.
They sat in silence for a while until Lily’s pulse returned to normal and her chest eased while she slowly gathered some of her wits together to make sense of what had just happened. “Michaels shot Wesley?”
“He did.”
“Is he … dead?”
Brendan said nothing, bobbing his head in assent. Lily quelled the burst of revulsion, nauseated at the thought that she had been buried beneath a dead man. The lassitude she had been feeling since hitting the floor was beginning to wear off. “That is … horrifying.”
“God, I have never been so terrified in my life. I thought I was going to lose you.”
Lily kept her ear pressed to his chest, enjoying the steadiness of his heartbeat. “Would that have been a bad thing?”
Brendan squeezed her tighter. “A very bad thing, Lily Ridley.”
“Why—”
Michaels cleared his throat from near the door. “I have sent for Briggs, and I have arranged to notify her ladyship’s family of what has happened. Should I bring a drink for Lady Filminster? For the shock.”
Brendan did not move at all, maintaining his embrace while responding. “Nay, Lady Filminster does not imbibe.”
“Perhaps some sweetened tea, then? Or coffee, perhaps?”
Lily shifted. “Coffee? I have never tried coffee before. Is it any good? It is certainly expensive! I saw the household accounts at my parents’ home, and I could not believe what Papa pays for his. He is usually so frugal about expenditure.”
Brendan chuckled, raising his head. “Coffee, then. But, Michaels, lots of milk and sugar.”
Michaels’s heavy tread announced his departure.
“I would not recommend developing a fondness for coffee. You are lively enough without its effects.”
Lily nodded, then squirmed. “I think I would like to sit up now,” she announced.
Brendan carefully swung her off his lap, settling her on the settee next to him. Lily tugged at her dress, straightening her clothing out while trying to think what she wanted to say. Brendan did not say a word, just clasping her hand between them.
Michaels arrived back with the tray of coffee before she had settled her thoughts. Brendan poured her a cup and added the milk and sugar he had requested.
Lily blinked as he stirred the cup. “So much sugar?”
“To help you focus after your shock. And coffee is very bitter.” He proffered the beverage to her.
Leaning forward, she took it up, taking a sip. “How strange it tastes!”
“It would be better to drink tea. Coffee can have some strange effects on one’s energy.”
Lily nodded. She did not want to babble any more than she already did, if that was what he was alluding to.
“Why did you come ba—”
“Lily!”
She looked over to see her brother striding in. He must have been exerting himself, because his flushed face was covered in a sheen of sweat, his hair mussed and his cravat askew. “Aidan? How did you get here so quickly?”
“Ran here … as soon as we heard the news … Left our parents … to take the carriage … Terrifying … to hear you had been attacked. I …” Her brother raked his hands through his damp hair before crossing the room to drop on a knee by her side. Taking her hands up in his, and shaking his head as he sought words, he exhaled sharply. “This is my fault! If I had taken care of you that night, instead of abandoning you to carouse with my friends …”
Lily frowned, pulling him closer and lifting her arms to hug him. “It is not, Aidan. I am well. Gracious! You must have run like the wind to arrive here so quickly.”
“I should never have left you alone.”
“But you did, and now I am married. Life goes on.”
Aidan groaned. “Until it does not.”
“I am safe. See, you are speaking with me at this very moment. The entire matter is settled.”
Aidan pulled away. Her brother was so tall that even lowered to one knee, they were practically eye level. From this close, she could see his pupils were dilated. “Is it over? Was the footman the one who committed the murder?”
Brendan cleared his throat. “No, I am afraid not. He claims he was paid to conceal the identity of the killer. At least we know now that it was nobody in the household.”
Aidan jumped to his feet. “How do we know it is true?”
Her husband must have felt uncomfortable with her brother towering over them. He rose up, walking into the cleared space in the middle of the room. The drawing room had plenty of the large, wooden furnishings of the rest of Ridley House, carefully placed around the perimeter of the room. They were surrounded by the exceptional strapwork of very fine pieces, even if their home was as gloomy as a cave. But Lily had heard that the King preferred to arrange his furniture in a different manner. Perhaps when they renovated Ridley House, they would rearrange the furniture into the informal groupings of the royal household.
Brendan’s voice called her back to the more pressing subject at hand. “I suppose we shall search his things to find evidence of the payoff.”
Aidan’s nostrils flared. “If it is true, then there is still a killer out there. Someone who might harm my sister!”
“We will keep our guards to patrol the house—”
“What?”
Brendan glanced over at Lily, who had straightened in dismay. She did not want to be followed around the house now that they knew Wesley had been the one on their staff working in collaboration with the true perpetrator.
“They do not need to shadow you. Simply take care of our home until we know we are safe. In addition to that, we will have a new housekeeper and maids at the end of the week, so Ridley House will be properly staffed, along with a new lady’s maid. It will be far more difficult for any attempt at intrusion once there is a full staff on duty.”
Lily turned her gaze to her brother, who appeared mollified by Brendan’s assertions.
“See that you do, Filminster. My sister is irreplaceable.”
Brendan wished he could speak with Lily, and communicate to her all the thoughts simmering in his head, but after allaying Abbott’s fears, more family arrived.
First Lord and Lady Moreland, the latter sweeping in the room with a frantic expression and wailing in distress when she caught sight of her daughter. Soon Lily had been enveloped in her embrace, appearing to be crushed by the taller woman.
Then Lord Moreland had shaken his head, dragging Lily into another hug. In her father’s arms, Lily was the most diminutive Brendan had ever seen her. Just when he thought he might be able to speak with the Abbott family to assuage their panic, Richard and his wife were announced.
That was the moment when Brendan realized that his family connections had grown significantly in the past week. Richard and he were vaguely related through the duke because of Annabel, the earl and duke being cousins. They had not really thought of each other as family, the tie being rather distant. Now he was married to someone the earl considered to be under his protection, a mild throbbing of his jaw reminding Brendan just how protective Richard could be about his wife’s cousin and closest friend.
Then, too, he now had a new brother-in-law, who was currently watching him with a tense expression. Given the younger man’s fears for his sister’s safety, Brendan suspected he would be seeing Abbott regularly.
Then there were Lord and Lady Moreland, who after they had checked on Lily, turned their attention on him. Lord Moreland gestured him over.
“This is quite a pickle, son. I am just glad no one innocent was harmed. Is this matter settled now?”
“Not fully. We still need to confirm that the footman was acting with someone, and try to uncover their identity. But our household itself is now safe, I believe.”
“Wesley confessed to his involvement?” Richard demanded.
“He did. The killer paid him, according to what he told us.”
“If he was paid, why was he still here? Do you think he was waiting to quit in order to not raise suspicion?”
“That, and he had been promised additional blunt if he could find a letter that the baron had written.”
“A letter?”
“I was going to task Briggs and Michaels with searching the house to see if they could locate it. It might reveal the identity of the murderer.”
Richard exhaled hard, shaking his head. “That would be a wonderful thing, if we could find it. This situation this morning with Lily could have turned lethal. Sophia would be devastated if …”
The earl turned his gaze across the room where Lily and the countess were seated together, Lady Saunton’s arm around Brendan’s wife as they both sat in relieved silence together.
“There are no words to describe how devastated I would be right now if something had happened to Lily.”
When Brendan turned back, he found Richard contemplating him thoughtfully, his emerald eyes glimmering. “There is something special about these Abbott girls. Have you informed your wife that you are in love with her?”
