Chapter 22

The Glassley Curse

Nigel could not remember if the bottle in his hand was his second or his third. All he knew was that it was empty, and that if the room would stop spinning long enough, he would be able to crawl to the door and ask for more.

Something wet touched his hand, and he glanced down to see Dandelion nuzzling him affectionately. She had scarcely left his side since Olivia had ended their engagement. No, I will not think of that. Wine. More wine.

"Who needsa life — no — wife anyway, eh?" Nigel buried his face in Dandelion's thick fur. "And I won't have either."

Dandelion whimpered softly and clambered into Nigel's lap. He pulled her close and enjoyed the comfort of her against him.

A moment later, the door to his study slammed open, making Dandelion jump and stand in front of Nigel, growling at the man before them.

Nigel blinked hard. "Rokesby? Issssat you? Why are there three of you?"

"Good God man, how drunk are you?" The three swirling Alexander's frowned down at him, anger clear on his face.

"Clearly not drunk enough." Nigel pulled himself to his feet, almost losing his balance and tumbling to the ground before he grabbed his desk for support. "Dandelion, stop it. You know Rokesby."

Dandelion had stopped growling even before Nigel had said anything and had padded over to Alexander. She gave a short sharp bark, clearly demanding a pat for her trouble.

"Some guard dog you would be." Nigel shook his head and instantly regretted it. Oh God, I think I may be sick.

Thankfully, he managed to hold onto the contents of his stomach. Dandelion had returned to his side and was gently snuffling at him for attention. He wanted to pat her but was certain that if he bent to do so, he would topple over and possibly crush her.

"Olivia told me everything." Alexander's voice was soft, but Nigel could not recognise the emotion in his drunken stupor.

"Everything?" Nigel asked and then added before he could stop himself, "Wow is she?"

"Heartbroken." Alexander sighed and moved further into the room, giving Nigel a hurt look. "Why did you not tell me that you were dying?"

Nigel shrugged. "How do you tell those you love most… that you're - hic - a dead man? That your family - hic - is cursed?"

"I do not know." Alexander answered, gently taking Nigel by the arm. "Sit down, your swaying is making me feel unwell."

Nigel let himself be guided into a chair. "Why are you - hic - doing thiz?"

"Doing what?" Alexander asked as he looked for the rope that would summon a servant to the room.

"Being… Well… why aren't you murdering me?" Nigel canted his head, grateful that there only seemed to be one Alexander in front of him.

"Do you want me to kill you?" Alexander shook his head.

"I have not made my mind up." Nigel had meant it to sound like a joke, but it came out entirely earnest.

"Would you tell me about it?" Alexander said after a moment, pausing in his search for some way to summon a servant.

"About what?" Nigel canted his head, managing to suppress a burp as he did so.

"The curse," Alexander answered. "Maybe I can help."

"I… I don't think anyone can help. I've talked to everyone. Prieests. Curse breakers. Mediumsh. I even asked my cousin, Lord Biston, for help."

"Lord Briston." Alexander corrected. "What help could he offer?"

"He said… said he knew some bottomists." Nigel gestured vaguely. "You know, the people who work with plants and such?"

A small smile played at the corners of Alexander's lips. "You mean a botanist?"

"That's wha' I said!" Nigel frowned at Alexander. "God, I need another drink."

"I think not." Alexander raised an eyebrow at Nigel.

"You're not my mother." Nigel pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"And I shall thank the God above that I am not," Alexander stated. "I am going to find a servant and have them bring you something to sober you up. I trust Dandelion will keep you safe in my absence?"

Dandelion gave an enthusiastic bark as Alexander left the room. Before Nigel could process anything that had just happened, a knock sounded at the door. That was quick.

It was not Alexander at the door but a young servant who was carrying a tray laden with a decanter of wine and a teapot. Nigel tried to recall his name. It was the footman his cousin had recommended. Damn it, what was his name?

"I have brought the wine you requested. And your nightly tea," Mr. Jaspers said as he entered the room.

"Ahhh. Thank you, Mr.…" Nigel was too drunk to feel embarrassed at forgetting the man's name. God, I hate that tea.

The tea had been something the footman had brought with him, claiming that his aunt had taught him something of herbs, and that it would aid with Nigel's sleepwalking.

"Jaspers, Your Grace." The footman took a few steps into the room and then froze as Dandelion let out a warning growl.

For some reason, she had taken a dislike to the man though Nigel could not understand why. Perhaps the tea smells foul to her too. Still, it is hardly Jasper's fault that it is so unpleasant. Perhaps I should be better about drinking the stuff.

Nigel had been very irregular with drinking his tea but had not wanted to hurt the boy's feelings so had been pouring the often forgotten brew into his chamber pot. A wave of guilt washed over him.

"Hush Dandelion. It's only Mr. Japsers. Sorry Jazspurrs." Nigel slipped a finger through her collar and gestured for Mr. Jaspers to put the tray upon the table. "I am sure she will get used t'you… eventually."

It is so embarrassing having to hold my dog back from a servant. Mr. Jaspers smiled a tight smile, clearly wary as he approached Nigel, and laid the tray on the small coffee table in front of him.

Dandelion's growls grew louder and more insistent, her hackles raised as she curled her lips into a snarl.

"Dandelion, really, this's quite embassaring… embarrassing," Nigel murmured, feeling the room gently sway as he tried to keep a hold of the dog.

Mr. Jaspers poured a steaming cup of tea out for Nigel and placed the decanter of wine on the table. He made to do the same with the teapot, but Nigel waved him away.

"Put it on my desk. There is barely enough room on this… table, and I will finish the rest after… after I have had this cup." Nigel gestured to his desk, struggling to make his mouth form words.

"Of course, Your Grace." Mr. Jaspers inclined his head and stood up, clearly grateful to move further from Dandelion.

"I have managed to find a servant and have them send up some water." Alexander's voice rang out, making both Nigel and Mr. Jaspers jump in surprise.

Nigel felt his finger slip from Dandelion's collar and swore. She darted towards Mr. Jaspers, and Nigel cursed. The man screamed as Dandelion dove for his ankle, and he dropped the tray.

The tea pot smashed on the ground, spilling the remaining tea everywhere. Alexander was the quickest to react, grabbing Dandelion and quickly passing her to Nigel as she tried to snap at him.

"I am so sorry Mr. Jaspers." Nigel was struggling to hold onto the corgi in his drunken state. "Truly, I don't know what has got into her."

Mr. Jaspers opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, Alexander had pinned the man against the wall by the throat. In his shock and anger, Nigel almost let go of Dandelion again.

What just happened? Nigel's alcohol-soaked mind struggled to process what was going on. He had never seen Alexander look so angry before, much less manhandle a servant. And that is my servant!

"What the hell do you think you are doing with my footman Rokesby?" Nigel demanded, his anger somewhat undermined by his inability to stand up straight. "Put him down this instant!"

"Do you know what the penalty is for trying to kill a duke?" Alexander's voice was full of rage.

"What are you talking about?" Nigel shook his head. "He has not tried to kill me. All he did was bring me my tea and more wine."

"Do you not recognise the leaves?" Alexander glanced at Nigel but did not loosen his grip on the footman who was turning a delicate shade of purple.

Nigel frowned and glanced at the wet leaves on the ground amidst the teapots' shards. "No? Should I? Surely, they are just herbs?"

Alexander shook his head. "That is hemlock. And it is poison."

"Wha—" Nigel glanced at the leaves and went to touch one with his hand.

"Do not touch it!" barked Alexander.

Nigel hastily withdrew his hand. The action made the room sway, and he flumped onto the ground. Dandelion was growling and snarling beside him, but thankfully, he maintained his hold on her collar.

"You have been trying to kill me?" Nigel frowned at the footman. "Why?"

Mr. Jaspers was batting at Alexander's arms, but Nigel knew from experience that there was no breaking his friend's hold.

"Put him down, Rokesby." Nigel waved at the man. "If he's dead, he can't tell us anything."

Alexander grunted and lowered the man to the ground. "If you try to run, I will kill you."

Nigel almost told the footman not to worry but decided that perhaps it would be better if the man was scared. He was trying to poison me.

"Why did you try to poison the Duke?" Alexander demanded as he flung the footman to the floor. "I trust you knew that the tea was poison?"

The footman was shaking violently as he nodded his head. "Please, Your Grace. I had no choice. He made me."

"Who made you? I didn't ask you to kill me." Nigel frowned. I am fairly certain I didn't anyway. Did I?

"I… if I say… he'll kill me."

"You are a dead man if you do not say." Alexander's voice was firm. "I have enough that I could take you to the magistrate now, and he would order you hanged just to set an example."

"He's right," Nigel added, sensing that in his state he would have little to offer in terms of intimidation.

"Lord Briston," Mr. Jaspers muttered the name.

Fredrick. Nigel stumbled back. He shook his head. "No, that cannot be true."

My cousin may be a dullard, but he is not a murderer. "You are lying. You must be. We have out differences, but my cousin would never do that," Nigel insisted.

The footman blanched and shook his head. "Sir, I swear it is the truth. I swear it on my mother's life."

An odd roiling sickness spread through him. He felt as though he had swallowed a live eel. His ears seemed to be full of a strange ringing sound, and the world around him was spinning.

"Your cousin…" Alexander shot Nigel a look. "… he is next in line, is he not?"

"Yes, but that doesn't make him a murderer," Nigel noted, anger and disbelief warring within him. "He has been trying to help me."

"How has he been trying to help you?" Alexander asked softly, but Nigel could hear the bite of suspicion in his voice.

"He said… He said he would find me a botanist. Someone who might be able to cure the curse. But that never materialised." Nigel shook his head, feeling as though it were full of molasses. "He… he was the one who recommended Mr. Jaspers."

Slowly pieces started clicking together in Nigel's head. The odd taste in the wine his cousin had brought him. How eager he had been to supply him with another footman. He kept drawing attention to my symptoms — but perhaps… No…

"Your cousin is the one who recommended Mr. Jaspers to you? And he knows botanists." Alexander looked troubled.

"I have proof. I have… I have letters from him." With a shaking hand, Mr. Jaspers procured several folded pieces of paper from his pocket. "I was supposed to destroy them, but I kept them just in case. In case he turned on me."

Nigel took the paper from the man and read: "My patience draws thin. You have two days to end NM, or I will take matters into my own hands."

The letter was dated yesterday. Nigel's hands shook, but for once, he knew exactly what it meant. Rage and disbelief flowed through him. I trusted him with my life.

"Tell me everything. How did you get mixed up in all of this?" Nigel asked, frustrated by his sluggish brain.

Dandelion appeared to have finally calmed down, but Nigel was not going to release her collar.

Mr. Jaspers took a breath, glancing between Alexander and Nigel as he said, "I overheard him, Lord Briston, talking to his father. Saying how they'd made a mistake waiting so long to kill the last two Dukes and that they needed to kill you before you could sire a son."

"Killed the last two Dukes?" Nigel stared at him. "This… this whole time… it has been them?"

Mr. Jaspers nodded. "I was so shocked, I knocked over a jug, and Lord Briston… he found me. Asked me what I'd heard, and then… well then… he told me he'd kill me, kill my whole family, if I didn't do what he asked.

"I tried to delay. I didn't want to commit murder. But… my sister, she works for him. And about a fortnight or so ago, well, she started getting sick. Said Lord Briston was making her drink some strange tonic."

"Couldn't you simply tell her to stop drinking it?" Alexander demanded.

Mr. Jaspers shook his head miserably. "She's a widow with two girls. She needs this job. Lord Briston said he'd sack her if she didn't drink it. That he'd write her an awful reference and make sure she'd never work again."

"But surely you could've gone to the magistrate?" Alexander asked.

"Even with the letter and the proof you have, they would not have had an antidote." Understanding bloomed in Nigel, and he felt it fuel his anger.

"The man has abused his station for the last time. We will sort this. You have two dukes on your side now, and Rokesby is well versed in poisons and antidotes."

Nigel had never been more grateful for his friend's overprotective paranoia than in that moment. "So, I take it, getting you this job was just a way of getting you close to me.

Mr. Jaspers nodded, seeming simultaneously terrified and relieved. "I was supposed to slowly poison you, just enough to make you sick. He gave me the measurements, said to wear gloves because the stuff would cause a rash, told me it's what they'd done to the other two dukes."

"This whole time, our line has not been cursed? But this goes back beyond my grandfather!" Nigel's head felt as though it were full of lead. His thoughts were sluggish.

Mr. Jaspers shrugged. "I only heard them speak of the last two Dukes. Lord Briston told me that the others were just bad luck as far as he knew, but his father and grandfather had sought to capitalise on the myths."

"He told you rather a lot for a mere servant." Alexander frowned.

"He gets chatty when he's drunk. Even more so if he is happy." Mr. Jaspers was still shaking. "He seemed to think that he'd won a girl away from Nigel and was celebrating that you'd be dead, and he had won her heart."

Nigel scoffed. "Olivia would never love a snake like him."

"No, she wouldn't," Alexander agreed.

"That's why he wanted you to move faster, isn't it. Why you were supposed to kill me tonight?"

"He told me he couldn't risk you getting married. That even though he was certain he'd poisoned the well, he could not be sure." Mr. Jaspers nodded.

"He did what?" Nigel attempted to leap towards the man. "He poisoned Olivia? I'll kill him."

Alexander grabbed Nigel and Dandelion who were both attempting to dive at the footman. He held each away from the man.

"Metaphorically!" Mr. Jaspers held up his hands. "I think, at least. Said he told her something that would ruin your relationship."

"So that is how she found out." Nigel wriggled free of Alexander's grasp and began searching for a coat. "That rat. He told her. I shall… Wring. His. Neck."

The image of Olivia burst into his mind. I am not dying. I am not cursed. I never was. His anger at his cousin was dwarfed by his relief. By his complete and utter joy. Lord Briston will pay, mark my words.

"You can hardly kill your cousin when you can barely stand." Alexander pointed out reasonably. "We will send for the magistrates. This… man will testify for us."

Mr. Jaspers nodded. "I will. But — I don't mean to question Your Grace's knowledge — are you sure you will be able to save my sister?" "

"I have extensive botanical knowledge and access to the best physicians in the land. Your sister will be safe as will the rest of your family. Consider them under our protection henceforth. I shall send some of my guards to escort them to Glassley." Alexander glanced at Nigel.

Nigel nodded, barely paying attention as he found his coat and struggled to put it on. He stuck his head out of the door and yelled, "Guards! Escort Mr. Jaspers to the magistrate."

There was a moment's silence before a voice called back, "At once, Your Grace."

Hastily Nigel scribbled a letter and handed it to the two guards once they had arrived. "Give that to the magistrate and have them send people to my cousin's house as soon as possible."

The guards nodded, took Mr. Jaspers between them, and escorted him from the building. Nigel nodded to himself. I am not dying. God, I am a fool. How much time have I wasted?

He left the room, stumbling and cursing as the hall seemed to rock ominously.

"Where are you going?" Alexander called after him, still holding onto Dandelion.

"I am going to make this right!" Nigel caught himself against the wall.

"I thought we just established you couldn't fight your cousin in this state?" Alexander followed Nigel, carefully putting Dandelion on the ground as he did so.

"Who said anything about him?" Nigel was genuinely confused.

"If you are not going to see your cousin, where on Earth are you going?" Alexander was just behind Nigel, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Nigel gave Alexander a look. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to see Olivia, of course!"

Alexander grabbed Nigel's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Give me one minute."

Nigel hesitated but nodded. The seconds felt like hours as he waited for Alexander to return. He was just preparing to leave anyway when a large volume of cold water was poured over him.

Spluttering and gasping, Nigel whirled around to see Alexander holding a now empty jug of water and Dandelion peering round from his legs, her lead in his hand.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Nigel demanded shaking himself.

"To sober you up," Alexander replied.

"Do you not think learning of my cousin's murderous plans might have done that?" Nigel glowered at his friend.

Alexander shrugged. "Possibly. But I do not take risks with my sister's heart. And you have much to put right."

Nigel swallowed. "I do."

And sopping wet, he turned on his heel and headed into the night. It is time to reclaim my wife.