It couldn’t be.
Surely . . . there must be some mistake.
“Louisa, you are forbidden to ever speak to that man again. Do I make myself clear?”
Louisa slowly turned to her father, meeting his furious gaze, the present moment coming again into sharp focus. Instantindignation rose at the command. “Then you are forbidden to ever speak to your wife again.”
“James!” the duchess exclaimed, and Louisa thought she might cast up her accounts at the false display of grievance from that woman.
“That is not a reasonable request, Louisa,” her father answered. “There are matters I need to deal with, and to deal with them I need to have a conversation with Camilla.”
“What would be a reasonable request, then? What will you do when Bow Street arrives to hold your wife accountable for her actions? Did you know that two men with the surname Fury approached Leo to retrieve the betting book for them so they could have leverage over her?”
Her father’s face paled. “What?”
Finally an appropriate reaction. “So you know about those burly fellows.” Good. “Did you know they are at war with her as well? That your title does not scare them?”
“That’s not true!” Camilla exclaimed. “I don’t even know those blackguards. How can I be at war with them?”
“How indeed?” Louisa glared at the woman. “Then ask me where Havendish’s ledger is right now.”
The duchess’s eyes widened, and a flicker of fear flashed across her features. “You gave it to them,” she breathed, her words filled with horror.
“Oh!” Leo suddenly exclaimed. He’d been rather silent for a while, but this jolted him into verbal action. “That’s why they kidnapped me—for that ledger!”
“They did what?” their father thundered, his face flushing a deep red once again.
“Yes,” Louisa said flatly. “And the Duke of Mortimer helped rescue him.” She didn’t care if it was a bit of a rough summary of events, she wanted to ensure that her father understood the true enemy they were facing.
Her kidnapping . . . the Cavanaghs . . .
She couldn’t dwell on that now. She had to make sure that their efforts to seek justice and stop criminal activity now were not in vain.
“Camilla is the reason for all of this,” Louisa finished.
The duchess’s face contorted in a supremely ugly fashion. “No matter what, you cannot let them arrest me. I am the Duchess of Talbot! The Talbot family name will be ruined if the truth is revealed!”
Louisa couldn’t help herself—she laughed, bitter and sharp. Her stepmother finally seemed to be giving up any pretense of innocence. “So, Camilla, your true face is finally showing.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a sneer. “I will show you my true face, you just wait!”
“Camilla,” her father growled, a low, dangerous warning. “Iwill deal with you later.”
Leo suddenly grasped Louisa’s hand in his. “Don’t worry, sister, I am on your side.”
A soft, relieved breath escaped her, and the throb in her chest eased a bit. “Thank you, brat.”
Leo nodded solemnly, his young face set with determination, informing their father, “I don’t know what is going on, but if Stepmother has done anything wicked, she should be punished.”
“You are too young to understand, Leo,” the older man said with a deep sigh. “There are many things to consider.”
Leo stood taller, challenging the duke’s authority without fear. “If you are talking about Louisa and myself, we shall be fine. It will say more about our character if we hold a family member accountable than allowing harrowing deeds to go unpunished.”
Louisa stared at her brother, stunned by his words. She could hardly suppress the surge of pride swelling in her chest. Withoutthinking, she grabbed his cheek and squeezed it affectionately. “Little brat, when did you get so wise?”
“Have you forgotten?” Leo said with a grin. “I always follow you around.”
Their father cursed under his breath. “Camilla, you are not to leave this chamber for the time being. In the meantime, pack your belongings.”
