Chapter 6

Chapter 6

" There ' s little more important than investing in our children, don ' t you think?" Lady Owen asked as they all gathered around the fire. " Whether that be financially or with time. I have played a role in every aspect of my daughter ' s life."

" You can be proud," the duke said. " She is a brave woman. And so intelligent."

It was always odd when people spoke about her as if she wasn't in the room. It made her feel like a ghost. As if she could leave the room and nobody would notice.

" You should be proud of your own," Lady Owen responded. " The earl has done very well for himself. A beautiful family."

Isabella knew what her mother was getting at with that statement. She was referring to the fact that the earl had a wife and likely a child would come along soon enough. He was younger than Isabella and apparently much further along in life.

The earl looked proudly at his wife, and Isabella wondered what that must have felt like. To look at someone the way he did. What thoughts waited in his mind to speak to her in the privacy of their own home?

It wasn't something she had often pondered and that thought had taken her by surprise.

" My wife would have been so proud of who he is today," the duke said with a bright smile.

Isabella pitied him. It was clear that he missed his wife terribly. She repeatedly came up in conversation, and when he spoke of her, it was with fondness and a quiet sadness in his eyes. Isabella knew for certain that was a feeling she didn't want to know.

To have found someone to love, and spent a lifetime with them only for them to be plucked from it. She couldn't fathom how the duke could recover from such a thing. How he was able to get into his bed alone each night and wake up to a quiet house.

Losing love seemed like a good enough reason to avoid ever finding it.

Of all the books she ' d read, not once had the character lost their love. They had avoided it, perhaps, or hated it at first and then later come around to it. But it had never been lost. Isabella wondered if it would make a good story in any way.

Would it be in any way enjoyable to read of a man who pined after his lost love, with sad eyes like the ones she saw when she looked at the duke? Would a man who had lost the most important person in their life still be concerned with the prospect of dying? Being taken out by a gunman?

She had been considering those notions so deeply that she ' d stopped listening to the conversation entirely. When she finally settled back into it, she realized she hadn't missed much. The conversation had turned to the assassination attempt once more.

" Will you ever be comfortable walking alone again?" Lady Owen asked.

" I hope so," the duke answered. " I rather enjoy it. It ' s rare in my line of work to find moments of peace like that."

" Although that one was hardly peaceful," Sir Brian remarked.

" No, I suppose it wasn't," the duke added. " I check the bushes everywhere I go now, searching for a hidden criminal somewhere in the shadows."

Isabella took a deep breath and settled into her seat. It was clear her family had no intention of ending the conversation any time soon, so they would likely still be there for a while. And she had rather hoped not to talk about the assassination attempt again.

Not that it wasn't interesting. She merely wanted to make sure that she could sleep well enough that night.

Eliza and Mr. Langley had struck up their own conversation again. It was sweet to see Eliza so interested in someone and so happy in her position that night.

" I ' m so sorry to do this in such fine company," the duke finally said, gathering everyone ' s attention. " But since you've mentioned the assassination, I wonder if I couldn't have a word in private with Mr. Alton, Miss Owen, and Miss Harper."

The group looked around at each other and nodded softly.

" In my study then," the duke said decisively.

The three of them rose to their feet and followed him through the house to a large room. There was a large oak desk and a fire crackling in a nearby fireplace.

" Please, make yourselves comfortable," the duke said, motioning to some nearby chairs.

They obliged. Isabella nestled into a chair near Mr. Alton.

Behind his large desk, the duke looked small and fragile. He sat down and rested his hands on the wooden surface as he straightened the papers lying there, neatening them all into a neat pile.

" I ' m sure by now you understand the nature of this conversation," the duke said.

" This has to do with the attempt on your life," Mr. Alton said with certainty.

It would appear that the conversation was not avoidable in any way. Isabella did her best not to sigh loudly. She clenched her jaw instead and promised herself that she would read before she slept. That way, she could clear her mind and help her dreams remain pleasant.

" Who would want you dead, my lord?" Mr. Alton asked. " The question has been burning in my mind since it occurred."

The color was starting to drain from the duke's face. As if the very meal they ' d just eaten threatened to return on him. Although the papers had already been straightened, he checked them again.

" That ' s just the thing," the duke said. " I have no idea. There is no individual who comes to mind. I've spent hours contemplating it, hoping that something falls into place so that I can be safer."

" You have received no threats?" Mr. Alton asked. " No letters cursing against your life? Anything of that nature?"

" Nothing," the duke said with a shake of his head. " The letters I receive are work-related and little more."

" That makes it more curious," Eliza said. " Surely it could not have been merely random?"

" No, I don ' t think so," Mr. Alton said. " Had it been some crazed maniac out to take blood, he would not have stopped after he failed to kill the duke. He would have chosen a different target. No, he was disappointed when he missed the duke."

" And he almost didn't miss," the duke added. " If you think about it. He was a good shot. He missed me by a hair and only because you took me down to the ground."

Mr. Alton nodded. " Yes, his hand did not falter when he extended the pistol in your direction," he said. " I noticed that immediately."

" You must have some enemies," Isabella said.

" I suppose there have been rumors that not everybody is quite so happy with me," the duke said with a shrug.

He had said it as if it was something casual, but it was clear to Isabella that it bothered him greatly. He clenched his jaw as if to bite back the pain that it caused him.

" It would appear that I've made some important enemies," the duke continued. " Nothing is ever simple when it comes to war, I suppose. Even the smallest of decisions can have the greatest impact."

" That is true," Mr. Alton said.

" Are they strong enough enemies to want you dead?" Isabella asked.

" I suppose so," the duke answered. " I'll tell you something. It scares me deeply that this has happened. I don ' t think this will be the last attempt. My fear is that whoever it is, they won ' t stop until I am dead."

" What do you intend to do about security?" Mr. Alton asked. " You need to make an effort to keep yourself safe."

" I don ' t even know where to start," the duke said. " The whole ordeal has my mind in a knot. None of my thoughts are clear or simple. I don ' t know what to do about it. If I could just get a good night ' s sleep I could figure it out."

" I know the right men for the job," Mr. Alton said. " I'll send them here in the morning. Make sure they go with you everywhere. They'll keep their distance, but they'll keep you alive."

The duke nodded. " That ' s very generous of you. Thank you."

" I trust these men," Mr. Alton added. " We have all saved each other ' s lives on the field before. You could say they ' re practiced at this sort of thing."

Once again, Mr. Alton had given a peek into his world. The uglier side to his life where he had to fight and kill other men for his country while his friends died around him. Isabella had read such stories in books before. It was horrific.

" I suppose this changes my usual routine dramatically," the duke continued. " I cannot keep myself locked up in this house all day, every day."

Isabella didn't blame the duke for not leaving. She wasn't sure what she would do if she thought someone was out there was trying to violently murder her. The very thought of it was enough to chill her blood.

" Things are very sensitive at this time," the duke said. " And I ask that you approach conversations about the subject carefully. You will be asked about it often, I am sure."

" What of the newspapers?" Mr. Alton asked. " They can be an asset if used correctly."

The duke nodded. " I have sent off a letter to be published tomorrow. It addresses not only the good people of London, but the gunman directly. There will be a reward for anyone who can bring forth information about it."

" That ' s a good idea," Eliza said. " Hopefully, somebody out there knows something."

" I just hope it doesn't spark something bad," the duke said. " The last thing I want is for the gunman to get angrier or braver than he was before."

" That is a risk," Mr. Alton said. " I suppose there ' s no clear answer in all of this when it comes to what to do."

" You ' re right," the duke said. " The constables have promised to do all that they can to solve this, but they have much on their plates. They cannot dedicate the entirety of their time to this case."

" What about a private detective?" Eliza offered. " I've heard they can solve cases faster than the constables sometimes."

" I have considered it," the duke said. " But I don ' t know who to trust. I look at everyone as if they are the hooded man on the horse. I need to play this as safely as possible."

" What of the weapon?" Mr. Alton asked.

" The constables have it," the duke explained. " They ' re doing what they can to get information from it, but I ' m not sure what they'll get. It's a pistol, just like any other."

" Yes," Mr. Alton said with a sigh. " I ' m afraid there isn't much to go on, is there?"

The duke shook his head.

It was sad to see him so afraid, and so lost within it all. She wanted to help him in some way, but she couldn't. Isabella wouldn't know where to begin. She also didn't know what to say to make things easier on him.

" I can ' t shake the feeling that there is something deeper here," the duke said. " Something more sinister."