Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

TEN MINUTES EARLIER

" T here are the men you are to draw." Her brother pointed. "Now do as I say. I will not tolerate your intransigence! Do you realize how important this is? And if you don't start to draw quickly, I will?—"

But Selina didn't hear the rest of his threat, for it was cut short by a loud crack.

A sound like a pistol.

Several people looked up, their faces creased with concern, however, the orchestra continued to play.

"That sounded very odd," Selina said, before dismissing it. Too much of today felt as if it had been a dream: her clandestine tryst with the duke, followed by his suspicion that she was not Edward's wife, leading to his assumption she must therefore be Edward's mistress.

Tears stung the back of her eyes. Now the duke insinuated he'd like to make her his mistress.

And now Edward wanted her to draw three men. No, he was demanding that she do so, and yet again, Selina was to simply obey, because she had no choice when a man wanted something from her.

Her brother gripped her elbow and pointed to the three gray-haired, ordinary looking guests in a quiet corner. "There they are. Be discreet, Selina. And be fast. I don't know when the duke will return."

Quickly, Selina began to sketch.

"Sir Edward Boothe!"

The cry from the doorway had everyone turning their heads to stare at the panting footman who'd clearly come running from the depths of the castle. Not even the music of the orchestra could drown the urgency in his voice.

Selina thrust the pencil and paper into her reticule as her brother jerked up his head at the sound of his name.

"Sir Edward Boothe, His Grace orders that you are to come with me." The footman strode through the room, his gaze fixed on Edward.

Selina stepped aside. What was happening? Why was this man staring so angrily at her brother?

A myriad of fears crowded out her earlier worries.

Had her deception had greater ramifications than she could have imagined?

She watched Edward depart under what looked like the custody of the footman and another gentleman. A group of guests, curious and no doubt looking for scandal, followed them.

Selina didn't know what to do? Was it better to stay away, or to follow her brother as a mark of solidarity? It seemed that whatever she did, it was the wrong thing.

Finally, familial loyalty won out and with a great sense of trepidation mixed with resignation, Selina stepped into the corridor, catching sight of the stragglers whom she saw had turned right at the end of the corridor.

Where was Edward being led? And why?

When she turned into a connecting passage, she saw the crowd gathered by the balcony, the open doors letting in the balmy summer night air.

"What has your husband done to have caused the duke such displeasure?"

Selina jerked her head up to see Mrs. Piggott's sheep-like eyes regarding her with bulbous intensity. Ignoring the woman, she approached the gathering in time to see the duke brandishing a piece of paper on which something indistinguishable—from this distance—was drawn.

She took two more steps and as the crowd jostled a bit more, she saw through a gap the figure of a prone man on the flagstones.

Another step and she saw the pool of blood that surrounded him.

She gasped as she heard the duke's accusing tones. "What was my likeness doing in this dead man's possession, Sir Edward? Since he just tried to kill me, I shall find your answer very illuminating!"

Coming face to face with the portrait Selina had done of the duke was as confronting as facing the duke's anger in person.

Lord Chauncy obviously didn't see her in the crowd as he looked accusingly at brother who stammered, "I…don't know, Your Grace."

"Sir Simeon!" Lord Chauncy petitioned a stocky, scarred man to his right. "Explain to everyone what has happened. We need anyone who saw anything suspicious to speak up."

"A terrible crime was about to take place. No, we're not talking about this man's death, for he is the would-be murderer." Sir Simeon pointed first at the dead man before snatching the paper from the duke's grasp and waving it before him.

His shadow wavered over the flagstones making him appear much taller than he was while his voice was loud and harsh.

Selina was still reeling when his next words cut through: "And His Grace was his quarry. You drew the likeness of the Duke of Chauncy, Sir Edward, and gave it to the man who has just tried to kill the duke. This drawing was to furnish the murderer with the means of identification."

Selina gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.

So that was the reason the picture had been stolen? To furnish a would-be assassin with an accurate likeness of his target?

And the Duke of Chauncy was to be assassinated?

Well, for all Edward's failings, her brother was not a murderer. And he certainly bore no grudge against His Grace.

Selina pushed her way through the crowd, not thinking as she hotly defended Edward.

"My brother knows nothing of all this, for it was Lady Saunders who stole the original drawing I made of His Grace because I found it on her desk!"

A second's silence was followed by a collective murmur as the crowd glared at Selina. They did not know her. She was not one of them, whereas Lady Saunders was?—

"Take her away! The woman is mad!"

Of course! It was Mrs. Piggott who squealed the accusation, backed up immediately by Lord and Lady Saunders, who materialized by the duke's side.

"Remove her!" barked Lord Saunders and Selina was only able to keep her balance because she thrust out her hands to grip Lord Chauncy's coat tail.

He regarded her a moment, clearly unsure. But there was no warmth in his expression as he murmured, "And why should I believe you now, Anna , when everything else you've told me is a lie? No, your brother drew and signed this copy which was used by this assassin to identity me in order to murder me!"

"Stop! I can prove I'm telling the truth!" Selina cried, swinging round to intervene as Lord Saunders and another man seized her brother. "There's proof on the drawing that I drew the picture and that Lady Saunders stole it! She was the one who gave it to the assassin. You can see it in the wording on Lord Chauncy's collar. Stolen by Lady Saunders , it says! Find a looking glass! Drawn by Selina Boothe! That's my name! Find a looking glass and see for yourself, Your Grace. I beg of you!"

But she managed no more before Lord Saunders clapped a hand over her mouth, saying, "Mad Lady Boothe is merely complicating matters with her ravings. I shall take her away!"