Gritting his teeth, Oliver slowly dragged his chair, shuffling along as he sidled up close to the Marquess.
Claire looked at him in confusion. “What are you doing?” she asked him.
“Getting answers,” the Duke, before loosening his foot and delivering a swift kick into the shins of the other nobleman. “Get up, Draydon!”
The ladies looked on with bated breath as Artemus groaned and groggily shook his head. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, before widening in recognition at the faces before him.
“Minsbury?” he asked blearily. “What in tarnation—”
“Glad to see you have joined the living, Draydon,” Oliver smiled grimly at him. “If you do not mind, I have some questions I would like for you to answer.”
* * *
The coachman called the horses to a halt and the constable hopped out of the carriage with three of his best men. His eyes narrowed as he took in the splendor of the ducal seat of Minsbury before him.
He had never before been to Minsbury Park and it was already a great honor to have been invited to the residence of His Grace while they got to the bottom of things.
The past few days had been rather discouraging with none of their leads turning up with answers.
“Let’s go inside and meet His Grace,” he told his men, walking up the grand marble steps.
However, when he arrived, he could feel that something was inherently wrong. There were too many people milling about and for a country estate expecting the arrival of its master, it was a bit…dark.
Perhaps His Grace thought it best not to announce his arrival, Mr. Harrold thought with a smile.What a smart move.
“Good evening,” the butler greeted him. “How may I help you?”
Mr. Harrold frowned at him. “I am Edwin Harrold, the constable. His Grace told me to meet up with him.”
The butler smiled in realization. “Oh, indeed! His Grace did send word beforehand but you may have to wait awhile, Mr. Harrold. His Grace and the ladies are not yet here, as of the moment.”
Mr. Harrold frowned and looked back at his men. They had given the Duke and his companions a head start, choosing to lag behind them to bring up the rear if something should go amiss.
By his calculations, they should all be in Minsbury Park right about now.
“I do not understand, my good man,” he told the butler. “It has beenhourssince the Duke left London.”
The butler nodded. “I did find it strange that His Grace should choose to return home all of a sudden. He even sent all the servants and staff of Ranhold House over.”
Mr. Harrold’s gaze snapped to the butler with alarm. “What do you mean by that?”
“Why… Last week, His Grace sent word that they had come across some problems in London and that Ranhold House was no longer safe, which was why he had all the staff sent to Minsbury Park for the time being…” His face turned ashen when he realized just how incredulous that sounded. “Is His Grace in any danger?”
“It would seem so,” Mr. Harrold nodded grimly. “How many men do you have with you? We need to make our way to Ranhold House as quickly as possible, before it is too late.”
The butler pursed his lips. “I will summon all able-bodied men with me, Sir. In fact, I shall go with you!”
Mr. Harrold thanked him and turned back to the carriage with his men.
“To Ranhold House!” he instructed the coachman. “And let us pray that we are not too late!”
Chapter 30
Claire could scarcely believe her ears as the Marquess of Draydon spilled out before them the intricacies of his father’s plot—how the Duke had gambled away their family fortune and mingled with some of the shadiest characters in London’s underbelly.
His voice was uncharacteristically soft as he spoke, with none of the acerbic wit with which he used to flay her other suitors. His gaze, when it slid to Lady Suzanna, was filled with tenderness and yearning, and Claire realized that he had, perhaps, loved the Duke’s sister all along.
“My father was the second son of the previous Duke of Lorchester,” he told them. “And unlike my uncle, who had been reared to take the reins one day, he led a dissolute life as the rich son of a nobleman and ended up gambling his fortune away while his father was alive. As luck would have it, my uncle fell ill and died, leaving my father to inherit his title and all the lands that went with it.”
