Chapter 26

The Truth Will Set You Free

Alexander stood alone in the Eastern library, surveying the land through the window. The castle was at its best today and seemed to reflect the wonder of the last few hours.

Rose loves me.

He smiled and leaned against the window. The strength of his joy forced everything else from his mind. He was barely aware of the sound of footsteps in the hall. His entire body was relaxed.

I wonder if Rose is thinking of me?

He hoped that she was enjoying her walk with Abigail. It was such a lovely day. He would have joined them, but the florist had sent word that his surprise for Rose was due to arrive that morning.

Rose.

The smell of her washed over him, blocking out everything from his senses. He was consumed by his love for her, utterly and completely unaware of his surroundings. He did not notice the sound of the door opening, nor the footsteps coming towards him.

Something cold and hard dug into the small of his back, and every muscle in him tensed.

"On your knees, dog," a voice behind him growled. "And keep your hands where I can see them."

Alexander did as he was told, trying not to jostle whatever was digging into his back as he raised his hands above his head.

"You thought you could escape," the voice scoffed. "But you were wrong."

Alexander swallowed. "It appears you have caught me off my guard. Well done."

"Did I say you could speak?" Something prodded him hard in the back. "Silence, you curr!"

Alexander held his tongue and carefully shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. Whatever had been digging into the small of his back was now pressed between his shoulders.

This calls for speed.

He pushed himself up onto his feet, whirled around, and scooped his would-be assailant into his arms, laughing maniacally. His little brother, Peter, let out a squeal of delight and dropped the object in his hands. It clattered to the ground with a metallic clang.

"Cook will have your hide for stealing one of her ladles," Olivia's voice remarked from the door, a hint of mirth in it.

Alexander placed Peter back on the floor and ruffled his hair good-naturedly. "You best return that to her, or even I will not be able to save you."

Peter rolled his eyes, but he did as he was asked and sprinted out of the room. Olivia swatted him as he ran past, but he avoided her and stuck out his tongue.

"Olive, you look as though you have something on your mind." Alexander grinned at her as he dusted himself off.

"You have a visitor, Brother dearest. Shall I show him in?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, yes. Of course. Thank you." He frowned. The florist had already delivered the gift. "Who is it?"

"Mr. Harwell, one of the local magistrates. Apparently, he has urgent news for you." Olivia gave him a quizzical look.

"Why did one of the footmen not come to deliver this message?" Alexander's heart rate quickened.

The magistrate must have some news.

"He did, but he did not get an answer. Did you not hear the knocking?" Olivia laughed.

Alexander flushed. "No. I was distracted by Peter. But please, show Mr. Hartwell in. And have the cook arrange some refreshments. Have them brought to the drawing room, and I will send Mr. Hartwell there once we have spoken."

"Of course." Olivia nodded. "Have you seen Rose this morning?"

"She and her maid went for a walk in the park. I am sure they will return soon." Alexander's heart soared at the thought of Rose, though it was eclipsed by his fear of the news the magistrate was bringing.

A short moment later, a thin, muscular man appeared in Alexander's study. His heart thundered in his chest as the man bowed to him.

"Your Grace. We apprehended your assailant." Mr. Hartwell's voice was grave. "And in doing so, we learned of a most frightful plot."

"Tell me everything." Alexander indicated the chair across from him.

Mr. Hartwell nodded. "The man was supposed to kill you, though not until today. His name is Dominic Smith, and we have been looking for him for many years. Yours would not have been the first life he has taken."

"He was one of the men who killed my father." Alexander clenched his jaw. "But why would some common thief want me dead?"

"He is not a common thief. He is in the employ of a very powerful, wealthy man. He is a hired killer." Mr. Hartwell shook his head.

"And who hired him?" Alexander asked.

"The Earl of Verimoor." Mr. Hartwell's words were full of disgust. "And it would appear this is not the first time he has tried to do you harm."

"What do you mean?" Alexander's heart rate quickened.

"I have always had questions the night your father was murdered. There were too many loose ends. Mr. Smith has given us what we need to connect them." Mr. Hartwell glanced at the ornate box on the table. "Your seal. The men were sent here to retrieve it at any cost."

Alexander looked down at the golden box on his desk, remembering Rose asking him if that had been what the thieves had wanted.

How is it that my darling Rose is the only one to have suspected the truth about this?

"The men were supposed to kill your father that night as well as steal the seal. The entire thing was part of Lord Verimoor's plot. He would have had you killed, too, but after your father's death, you and your family became impossible to reach."

"He wanted power," Alexander murmured, the pieces slotting into place in his mind. "With the seal and the Duke and his heir's death, he could have done anything."

"Indeed." Mr. Hartwell scowled. "He has been growing his power for many years. Biding his time. But you have thwarted him. With his man's confession and the letters he has shared with us, we will be able to lock the man up for life."

"Good." Alexander stood up, rage filling him. "Let him rot behind bars. Let him suffer for all that he has done."

"Rest assured, Your Grace, we shall not let him escape justice a moment longer."

"You have my deepest gratitude, Mr. Hartwell. Please, have some refreshments in the drawing room. I shall join you shortly. I need… a moment to collect myself." Alexander wrestled with the fury in his chest. "There is one thing I do not understand. Why try and kill me again, after all this time?"

Mr. Hartwell's face darkened. "Of that, I am not certain, Your Grace. All our man seemed to know was that the Earl had found something that would grant him power that would require your death."

Alexander frowned. "Thank you, Mr. Hartwell. Please, rest in the drawing room."

"Of course, you are most kind, Your Grace." Mr. Hartwell bowed and left the room.

Alexander's mind was in turmoil.

All these years. How could I have been so blind? To think it was some common robbery gone wrong. Yet, why would I suspect anything else? Father was well-loved, and a good duke.

He would find the detestable Earl, and he would make him suffer. He would take everything from him. As the Earl had taken from Alexander. Something niggled at the back of his mind but could not seem to break through his anger and pain.

A scream tore through the castle, and Alexander whirled around. His anger was replaced by unbridled panic. He hurtled through the corridors, desperate to find the source of the screaming.

A moment later, he collided with Rose's maid, Abigail. The woman's dress was soiled, tears streaming down her face, her hair in utter disarray. Olivia stood beside her.

"What happened?" Alexander demanded.

Where is Rose?

He saw his younger siblings and Rose's family appear behind the hysterical woman. He gestured for them to leave and then guided the distraught maid to the nearest library.

Olivia helped her into a seat and handed her a glass of sherry for her nerves. "Come, you are safe now. Tell us what has happened."

"They… They… In the park." Abigail sobbed. "We were walking. They—I do not… He—We were in the forest. He…"

"Talk sense, woman," Alexander barked, his fear getting the better of him.

Olivia shot him a look that clearly said he was not helping the situation. "Here, drink this. Come now, steady yourself. Breathe. Tell us what has happened."

Alexander's heart thundered, but he held himself in check as his sister tried to soothe the distressed woman before them.

"Her Grace… We were walking." Abigail hiccupped. "He… He tricked us. I-I… I tried, Your Grace. But a man grabbed me. They tried to take both of us."

The world seemed to crumble around him, and his heart sank to his stomach. "Who grabbed you?"

Why does my voice sound so far away?

"A man. He had greasy hair… I think it was brown. And he had a beard and the most disgusting breath." Abigail shuddered as though trying to shake off something unpleasant.

"And what about Rose?"

"He had her. She spat in his face. Tried to run." Tears welled up in the maid's eyes.

"And did she get away?" Alexander felt a prickle of hope swell in his chest.

She spat in someone's face. Oh, my Rose.

The sight of the maid shaking her head wretchedly dashed his hope. "She might have, but the one who had me let me go to catch her. She told me to run, to find you. I did not want to leave her."

"Of course, you did not." Olivia clasped the maid's hands reassuringly. "You did the right thing. Without you, we would have been none the wiser of Rose's… situation."

"Who has her?" Alexander asked, fearing that he knew the answer even as the question escaped his lips.

Something to grant him power that would require your death… It cannot be.

The maid hesitated. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Damn it, tell me! Who has my wife?!" Alexander roared.

The maid flinched, all color draining from her face. "Lord Verimoor."

Alexander staggered back. Her words confirmed what he had already known. It was happening again. The world around him seemed to spin, and he pressed a hand against the wall, barely aware of anything else.

Lord Verimoor.

"He said that he wished to marry her. That in a few days, she would be his, and that her husband… Well, he would be dead." Abigail glanced at him, shaking violently.

Alexander let out a bitter laugh. "Well, I am not dead. And his thug has been apprehended."

Olivia gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. Before she could say anything, a knock sounded at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Jane walked in. Alexander barely spared her a glance.

He has Rose. Rose. I should never have let her out of my sight. Oh, curse me for being a fool.

He was shaking. The smell of blood filled his nostrils. Screams rang loud in his head.

There were voices. Olivia and Jane were speaking. Alexander shook, his fists clenched. Images of Rose and Lord Verimoor swam before him.

No.

"Alexander! Alexander!" Olivia's voice seemed distant. "Are you listening to me? We must do something!"

"Your Grace!" Jane bellowed, and everyone turned towards her, their jaws slack.

Alexander stared into her face. Her eyes were full of the same fury that Rose's had held the night before. The same brave determination. He swallowed.

"Your sister tells me that some madman has kidnapped my sister, your wife." Jane held his gaze, her entire body shaking. "Is this true?"

Alexander nodded. Not trusting himself to speak.

"Then why are you doing nothing? My sister has spoken of your kind heart and gentle nature. Yet, the world tells me you are a violent brute." Jane took a deep breath. "Rose told me the world is wrong. She said that you are brave and loyal."

"My brother is no killer." Olivia looked indignant, but Alexander motioned for her to stay calm.

"I do not care if he is a killer or not. He is my sister's husband, and he is standing here, doing nothing while she is being taken to God knows where." Jane's fury warred with her fear.

Alexander shook his head. He felt bile rise in his throat. His mind felt foggy. Sluggish and unclear.

Rose. Rose. Oh God, what have I let happen to you?

"My sister needs you. We all need you. And I do not need the kind, gentle Duke." Jane shook her head. "Rose needs a man who will tear the world apart for her. Who will stop at nothing until she is safe."

Alexander saw his father's face in his mind's eye. Heard his last words.

Keep them safe.

But he had failed his father. And now he was going to fail Rose. He dropped his face in his hands, his fingers brushing against his scar. The mark of his failure.

Rose's voice echoed in his mind.

It is just a scar. And you are a man. A brave and caring man who did all he could to keep his family safe.

Something within him broke. The despair that had threatened to overcome him vanished.

He was a man. He was not the same boy from eight years ago. He was the Duke of Emberly. He held Jane's gaze, meeting her steel with his own as he stood tall.

I will not be defeated.

"The Earl is not a foolish man. If he plans to marry your sister, there can be only one place he would take her." Alexander hardened his heart. "Yet, time will be of the essence."

Alexander turned to the still-shaking maid, his voice cool and level. "Was it only the Earl and his man who accosted you?"

Abigail nodded, tears welling up once more.

Alexander chewed his lip in thought.

"Gretna Green. That is his only hope for a speedy marriage." Alexander grabbed a decanter from the table and poured himself a healthy measure. "We are some days from the border, so he will have to stop. If he takes rooms at an inn…"

He felt icy rage spread through his chest.

I will not let that happen.

"We must act fast." He downed his drink in one go, reveling in the fortifying burn of the whiskey. "Olivia, fetch Mr. Hartwell and have him meet me at the stables."

Olivia nodded and ran out of the room. Alexander rolled his shoulders and strode out of the room, anger replacing his despair.

So, this man thinks he can harm my family? His arrogance has made him bold, but he will pay the price.

"Ready my horse." Alexander's voice boomed through the corridor. "I am going hunting."

Servants scurried out of his way, and he was half aware of Mr. Hartwell at his side.

I am coming for you, Rose. Nothing will stand in my way.