Francine glanced away, lips tight.
“The scandal sheet said more than that,” Gavin reminded him helpfully. He produced the very article from his front pocket and unfolded the clipping on his lap. “It claims Francine had to look elsewhere if she wanted heirs. If that’s true, she won’t be able to deny her condition for more than another month or two before it’s obvious to anyone with eyes.”
Benedict swallowed, his gaze and tone dull. “Francine…?”
“We both wanted a baby. We talked about it all the time. It’s not my fault you couldn’t father one. So I found someone who could. I didn’t love him, Benedict. I just wanted a baby. For us. Like we dreamed about.”
He recoiled and stared at her. “I wanted a childof my own.”
“It’s your baby,” she gritted out, “if you say it is. Just think, darling—we’ll be raising the new earl!”
“Because you killed the old one?” Benedict slammed his fist against the carriage wall. “My brother, Francine. Mybrother.”
Her voice wobbled. “You hated him, too. How many times did you wish for his untimely death?”
“Because hesleptwith mywife,” he roared. “I wanted to kill him for that.”
“I did it for you.” She placed a trembling hand on his knee. “I did it for us.”
“And now we’re all going to the magistrate. I’ll follow on my horse.” Gavin rapped at the panel to summon the coachman. “Don’t kill each other before we get there.”
Chapter 44
Rather than drive herself mad waiting for news of Gavin, after she had missed seeing him before he had left to catch Francine, Evangeline decided to while away the hours watching the children play in the nursery. However, the girls were nowhere to be found. Even stranger, she couldn’t even find a servant to ask where they might be. Or, in fact,anyhouseguest. Might everyone have gone outside for kite-flying or pall-mall?
Pot of dirt still tucked under her arm, she made her way to the servants’ quarters rather than the front porch, as the side door spilled directly into the lawn where the wickets had been set up for Jane’s birthday. No wickets. No kites. Dozens of scurrying servants.
Dread began to coil in Evangeline’s belly. She had the horrible suspicion the staff of Blackberry Manor was not engaged in a casual game of hide-and-seek.
Jane flew out from between two tall rows of blackberry bushes, caught sight of Evangeline, and burst into tears.
Evangeline ran up to her, stroked her hair with her free hand. “What happened?”
“It’s my fault,” Jane sobbed. “The twins have been asking to play out-of-doors all morning, and I said I would but I didn’t because I wanted to sneak into Uncle Lioncroft’s studio to look at the miniature he’s painting of me. When I came back they were gone. I was so angry at them for running off again that I told Nancy and Mother they should be spanked, and we all came outside to fetch them. But we couldn’t find them, and then we found Rachel, and Rachel was crying, and she said Rebecca was hurt somewhere between the bushes and we can’t find her anywhere.”
“Notagain.” Evangeline would sack their nurse in a heartbeat. “Does Rachel know where she is?”
“She’s crying too hard to speak. We can’t get any helpful information from her.”
Evangeline straightened. “Ican. Take me to her. Hurry!”
Jane took off running with Evangeline right on her heels.
They sped through the rows of towering blackberry bushes, mindless of the occasional brambles tugging at their hair and ripping at their skirts. Just when Evangeline was beginning to think the fields stretched on forever, a smart white gazebo appeared in the center of a small clearing.
Jane stumbled to a stop. “Rachel? Rachel?” She turned to face Evangeline, panic in her eyes. “I don’t understand. She was right here. Now I’ve lost her, too!”
“No,” Evangeline choked, catching sight of a too-familiar form stepping out from behind a tall bush. “She’s still here.”
“Mornin’, darling.” Neal Pemberton tightened his hold on Rachel’s limp body, one large hand clapped over the child’s mouth, the other holding a knife to her ribs. “Miss me?”
Oh, God. The blackberry fields. Of course.
“Let her go,” Evangeline demanded, wincing at the tremor in her words.
“Now, why would I want to do that?” he drawled.
“Let hergo,” Evangeline repeated, her voice high-pitched and cracking. “Jane, I need you to run. Find your mother, find a servant, find anyone. Tell them Neal Pemberton is here and he’s got Rachel.” She took a deep breath and tried to look confident. “For now.”
