“I’ll go as quickly as I can,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”
Thomas nodded. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I think things are under control here, I really do.”
Duncan hurried out the door. Thomas listened as he made his way down the steps.
“You’re the one who’s insane,” Henry said. “Are you really going to bring the constables into this? Are you going to throw away years of friendship over a lady you’ve only known for a short time?”
“You did,” Thomas said. “Do you know what would have happened to me if your plan had succeeded? Don’t you understand how Crowle intended things to go? There is every chance that I would have ended up in a cell, just like Richard.”
Henry scowled.
“But you don’t care about that,” Thomas said quietly. “All you cared about was having your path to Lady Valeria clear. With me out of the way, she would be yours for the taking.”
Henry looked away from Thomas.
“But she’ll never be yours,” Thomas said. “There’s no chance of it. Not now that she knows what you’re really like. Not now that you’ve shown us all your true nature. She chose me, Henry, but she could have been your friend. You could have had her in your life.”
“You wouldn’t have settled for that, if I had been the one she had wanted,” Henry said.
“Yes I would,” Thomas said. “I would have accepted anything she wanted to give me. Gladly.”
“You’re lying,” Henry said. “You’ve never had anything before, and you’re lying about it. You’re being smug.”
Thomas shook his head. “I’m glad I haven’t gotten everything I wanted in life, the way you have,” he said. “You’ve become a person I would be ashamed to be. I’m glad I’m nothing like you.”
Henry stared at him for a long moment.
“You won’t turn me in,” he said. “We’re friends.”
“We’re not,” Thomas said. “You forfeited my friendship when you acted against the lady I love.”
Chapter 40
“Oh! Valeria! Here they come!”
Valeria leapt to her feet, feeling as though a wave of energy had just crashed through her body. She hurried to the front door. Aunt Alberta was already standing there, looking out the window.
Sure enough, two figures on horseback were approaching. As they drew nearer, Valeria could make out their faces. She watched as they dismounted their horses, longing to run out to greet them.
Lord Woodsford handed his reins to Duncan and said something to him. Duncan nodded and started toward the stables, leading both horses with him. Lord Woodsford looked up at Earlington Manor, squared his shoulders, and started toward the front door.
And Valeria found, suddenly, that she couldn’t wait any longer.
She threw open the door and ran outside.
“Valeria!” her aunt called after her. But nothing could have stopped Valeria now. All she wanted was to be close to Lord Woodsford, to hear him explain in his own words that everything was resolved at last, and that they could finally be together with nothing in their way.
As soon as he saw her emerge, he broke into a run himself. Valeria hurried down the steps and met him, and he caught her up in an embrace, spinning her around once before setting her lightly on her feet.
She looked up into his eyes. “You’re all right, aren’t you?” she asked. “Did anything happen? Did he hurt you at all?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her. “And Duncan is fine, too.”
“What happened to Lord Harlston?”
“The constables came and apprehended him. He’s been arrested for his crimes. He won’t bother us anymore.”
Valeria sighed and nodded, relieved. “Will he be locked up?”
