Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

“You’ll be joining us on a walk later, correct?” Nancy asked, peering into Marina’s room. Nancy had been distant to Marina the last while. Not that they were ever particularly close, but as of recent, Nancy was more scarce than usual.

“That would be lovely, thank you, Nancy,” Marina replied, rather shocked that Nancy would remind her of their promenade. She wasn’t entirely eager to join Nancy, Griffin, and their mothers on a walk, but she thought that perhaps this might allow her to further speak to Griffin. But how she could pull this off without Nancy and their mothers overhearing, Marina was unsure.

During the promenade, Nancy and Griffin walked briskly upfront while Marina lingered a few steps behind with their mothers. Every once in a while, Griffin would turn his head to look at Marina subtly, making it apparent he also awaited a conversation.

“I must say, I’m not quite surprised about Theresa’s outcome. She raised her sons, so she must be to blame for how they’ve turned out,” Marina overheard Charlotte gossiping to her mother.

“She’s a dear woman, but has no sense of responsibility when it comes to her own decisions. She acts as if some dark spirit overcame her children,” Marina’s mother said.

“The other day she told me it’s a temporary temperament they’ve adopted, but I highly doubt her sons’ behavior to be temporary,” Charlotte continued, causing Marina’s mother to nod in agreement.

The entire walk drained Marina from the inside out, her feet already starting to slow with each step. She had nothing to contribute to the chatter, so she became engrossed with her own thoughts. She tried to avoid thinking about Griffin’s accusations, but the scale of the situation made it nearly impossible.

She knew very well that her uncle wasn’t close to being considered a kind man, in fact, she might describe him as a cruel specimen. But a murderer? That question still bothered her daily. She couldn’t imagine her uncle performing such deeds, but then again, she couldn’t completely deny the possibility of it.

The worst part was having to question if she would believe her uncle, the man she knew her entire life, or Griffin, a young duke who recently stumbled into her life. The unfortunate fact was that she couldn’t tell Griffin his claims were completely false, as a part of her didn’t believe so herself.

That made her think of her father, a man who always claimed that Marina should follow what her instincts tell her. Unfortunately, all instincts were leading her to believe Griffin’s claims.

“Papa would’ve laughed if I told him that his brother might be a murderer,” Marina thought, but with that thought came an icy, heart wrenching feeling that nearly made Marina plummet to the ground.

If Uncle Josiah had indeed killed Griffin’s father, the death of her own father might also be explained. After all, Uncle Josiah had always been driven to achieve the status of Earl, and the only problem that stood in his way was Marina’s father.

The possibility nearly made Marina vomit, but she kept her composure despite the sickening thought. She now knew what she wanted to ask Griffin for in return for her vow of silence.

“Marina, your bonnet is coming undone,” her mother said as they walked. Marina saw this interruption as her chance to perform an instinctive plan.

“Thank you for letting me know, Mama. I didn’t tie the bonnet quite as- oh!” Marina pretended to stumble to the ground, gracefully falling on her hands.

“My goodness, Marina! Watch where you step!” Charlotte yelled as Marina’s mother came to her aid.

Marina’s mother held out a hand to help Marina back to her feet, which allowed the perfect moment for Marina’s plan to work.

“Thank you, Mama. I don’t know what clumsiness has overcome me late- Ouch!” Marina exclaimed in false pain, grabbing her ankle. Marina’s mother stepped back in shock, fearing the worst.

“My goodness! Could you have broken a bone?” her mother exclaimed. She looked over her shoulder at Nancy and Griffin jogging closer.

“I don’t believe it to be broken, my lady,” Griffin told Marina’s mother as he approached the scene. “But it appears to be sprained.”

Griffin gently knelt beside Marina, using a gentle hand to touch Marina’s ankle. “It most certainly is sprained,” Griffin replied, almost causing Marina to laugh. She most certainly didn’t hurt anything in her body, but he sure appeared to genuinely fear for her injury.

“My, do you have any form of medical knowledge?” Marina’s mother asked, her expression one of genuine worry.

“Actually, I do have quite a load of medical knowledge, my lady,” Griffin replied, gingerly touching Marina’s ankle. Marina pretended to wince in pain.

“Maybe, you all could run up and fetch me a horse or carriage? I don’t believe I’d be able to walk back home,” Marina said with a voice laced with false pain. She thought if Nancy and their mothers go to call for help, they might leave Griffin behind with her.

“I’ll take you back home,” Griffin said before anyone could say a word. Marina was unsure of what he meant, but before she could ask, she saw him lifting her into his arms. For a moment, she thought she was in some kind of dream, as the effortless way he swooped her up made her feel like she was afloat.

“Oh,” Marina heard Nancy say behind them, causing Griffin to turn around with Marina in his arms.

“I’ll take her back home,” he said. “I will catch up to the walk in no time, so continue and I’ll find you along the way.”

Nancy nodded hesitantly, unsure of how to respond to the situation. She felt conflicted, but couldn’t object to Griffin helping an injured woman.

As Griffin started making his way back to the Cromwell house, Marina felt too flustered to speak. His firm grip gave her an odd sense of safety that made her unsure of how to approach the planned conversation.

“You don’t have a medical background as you claim, do you, Your Grace?” she finally asked, thinking it to be a fitting starting point.

“Why do you ask?” Griffin laughed. “Might it be because you aren’t actually injured as you claim to be?”

“Fair question,” Marina laughed, hesitant to rest her head on his shoulder, but doing it, nonetheless. “I just needed to find a way to speak with you.”

“Now, what is it that I might do for you in exchange for your silence?” Griffin asked, his expression quickly changing to a serious demeanor. “I’ll promise you nearly anything within my capability.”

“Your Grace, I want to help you in this investigation regarding my uncle. You have no choice but to allow me assist you in this matter, as it concerns my family,” Marina finally said.

The duke was clearly taken aback on the matter, nearly losing grip of Marina. He had expected to receive a request for expensive jewelry or clothing items, but certainly not this.

“My Lady, might I ask why you would choose, out of anything you could’ve chosen, to assist me?” he asked.

Marina looked over at the Cromwell house nearing their span of sight, but decided to ignore the question. It wasn’t time for him to know her true intentions. She had to know if her father might also have been a victim, if Griffin’s claims are true, but she couldn’t let him know. If she must tell him, he could wait until a later stage. She just had to make sure her suspicions can be based on facts.

“You may let me down now,” Marina told Griffin, pointing at the entrance to the house.

“Why? If a lady pretends to be injured, she should be treated as if she’s injured. I’d suggest you keep to your act if you want to make this believable. Besides, you weigh but a feather,” Griffin replied, almost in an annoyed manner yet managing to laugh about the situation.

“Firstly, you should never comment on a lady’s weight,” Marina said. “And secondly, this was my only chance to get to speak with you on the matter. It’s not as if you made much of an effort to find time to do so.”

“And why would you say that?” Griffin laughed. “My Lady, although you are beautiful, you are full of odd assumptions.”

Marina got silent, unsure of how she was supposed to reply on the matter. She was, however, convinced that she could speed up the investigation to a much faster pace than Griffin could on his own. She just needed to prove it.

“You are a man who stumbled into the life of my uncle’s daughter. Though you may spend an awful amount of time here, you’re still not regarded as family. I have that perk, unlike you,” Marina vocalized. “I know the Cromwell House from the inside out, after all. I’ve spent my entire life inside it.”

“It is quite sad that your father couldn’t spend a while longer as the Earl” Griffin replied, making Marina curious as to whether he had already guessed her intentions regarding the investigation. “You might know the walls, my lady, but do you know the people living within them?”

“Of course, they’re family. And I happen to be one of the people living within the Cromwell house’s walls,” Marina spat out, starting to get angered by his lack of trust in her knowledge.

“Then how could you not have thought your uncle to be a possible murderer? It appeared to be quite obvious to me when I met the new Earl of Lyford,” Griffin continued in a much calmer voice than Marina thought appropriate.

“I don’t just wander around accusing my family members of heinous crimes before I have the proof to back such claims,” Marina retorted, annoyed at the slow pace with which Griffin carried her toward the house. She felt like a damsel in his arms, making it that much harder to prove her abilities.

“Yes, yes,” was all Griffin managed, giving up on the debate with Marina. It made Marina feel slightly accomplished.

“There’s just one last question I have for you, my lady,” Griffin said as he stepped onto the threshold of the entrance. He still had Marina firmly in his arms, despite her requests of wanting to be set down. He reached a green, velvet couch where he gently put her on a seat, managing to prolong his eye contact with her.

“What might the question be, Your Grace?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. She rubbed her hands over her thighs in an attempt to straighten out her dress.

Griffin took a seat next to Marina, a silence echoing through the room before he responded. “How could we possibly approach a joined investigation if we have no time together? You had to go as far as faking an injury in order for us to speak, my lady.”

Marina looked down at her hands, contemplating the question. It was true, they had to take extreme measures to mutter a word to one another. How could an investigation possibly work if the investigators couldn’t even communicate with one another?

“You might just have to court me temporarily,” Marina instinctively said, but after the words had passed her lips, she immediately felt her cheeks glow pink in a blush.

She kept her gaze at her fidgeting hands, thinking of a way to retract the statement. Yet, before she could excuse her words, Griffin let out a chuckle beside her. She turned to face him in surprise.

“I must say I’m quite flattered, my lady,” he laughed, causing Marina to arch a brow at him. “Flattered and taken aback.”

“Oh, Your Grace, if you think my intentions are anything other than to assist you with gathering evidence, I’d have to retract my words,” Marina said, somehow embarrassed for offering such a solution in the first place.

“Don’t get me wrong, my lady, your plan might just work. We just need to find a way to approach it,” he finally said.

“Uncle Josiah might just try to make me his next victim if he hears that I’ve stolen his daughter’s suitor,” Marina laughed, the joke nearly sending Griffin into a fit that he had to hold back.

“Then I’ll be back to investigating this all by myself,” Griffin said, the atmosphere quickly having changed to light-hearted despite the serious topic.

“Then the decision is final. I shall court you. We just need to find a way to delicately explain this to everyone in order to avoid complete execution,” Griffin said, in a serious tone.

“Extremely, extremely delicate. Especially with Nancy,” Marina said, thinking about the heart-breaking consequences this news would have on her cousin.

The two sat together in silence for some minutes before Griffin rose to his feet. “I have to run back if we want to avoid further suspicion.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” Marina nodded, wanting to rise to her own feet as well, but remembering that she had to appear injured.

He started walking toward the exit, but took a final turn to face Marina. “My Lady, we have entered a courtship.”