Stifling the emotion that had been rising up his throat, Gideon replied, “What are you still doing here, Lewis? The ball ended some time ago.”
“That, my friend, is a lost battle between me and the drink. I was in my cups and fell asleep in one of your guest chambers,” Lewis quipped, his tone light. As he neared, he crouched beside Gideon, his gaze also falling on the stone. “I thought to wake you and drag you to the parlor for a game of billiards but you were nowhere to be found.”
“Perhaps it's time you sought new companions,” Gideon drawled.
Lewis responded with a soft laugh. “Well, it is a good thing I stuck around, eh? One of those nights?”
Gideon didn’t have to ask Lewis what he meant. He’d carried Jasper’s death like a sore wound that refused to heal. On the better days, it was the rage and vengeance that fueled him—that drove him forward. But on days like this, the deep sadness he’d never gotten over came rushing to the fore.
“He did not stand a chance,” Gideon murmured. Though he stared at the gravestone, he saw nothing but Jasper taking his final breath. Gideon’s first and only taste of real death had left him utterly scarred. “Father took away his chances.Theytook away his chances. That is why I cannot rest until I find every single one of them and make them suffer the way they made him suffer.”
Lewis was quiet for a long moment. But then he said, “Well, you’re in luck. I have found the name of the final Serpent.”
Gideon’s gaze snapped to Lewis, “And when were you planning to inform me of this?”
“When the wine stopped creating a twin of you,” Lewis replied cheekily.
But Gideon was hardly in the mood to entertain his friend’s humor. “Who is it?”
Lewis hesitated, then said, “The Earl of Appleby.”
The final Serpent to ruin. Hearing the name filled Gideon with a renewed sense of purpose. He couldn’t stop now. He was on the precipice of avenging Jasper's pain, and nothing should deter him.
And he wouldn’t let anything—anyone—stand in his way. If Lady Amelia was so insistent on binding herself to him through marriage, then so be it.
Having reflected on it through the night, one thing was clear. if she truly persisted with this, then Gideon had no plans of giving her a peaceful marriage. Gideon resolved to make the union so tumultuous that she'd seek an annulment in mere weeks. And after those weeks, he'd exact his vengeance.
“What’s your next move?” Lewis asked, clearly sensing that Gideon was deep in thought.
Gideon looked down at the mask. “The Masked Rogue will live on for one more month. That should be all the time I require to bring down the Earl of Appleby.”
Lewis raised a brow. “And what of the lady you were caught with tonight? Try as you might, Gideon, you will not be able to quellthe rumors for much longer. Would you truly marry her to stop them from talking?”
“I’m not worried about her. Once she sees that I would make for a terrible husband, she will leave. Ideally within the week. Then I shall have both my revenge and my freedom.”
"…When will this fixation end, old boy?"
Lewis’ somber tone confused Gideon for a moment. “Are you suggesting I settle down with a lady who sought to ensnare me?
“No, regarding your vendetta. Tell me, is it something Jasper would have wanted? Something your father would have asked of you?”
“My father was a naïve fool. And Jasper bore the brunt of his folly. I shan’t let those involved get away with the things they’ve done.”
Lewis was quiet but wore a frown that made Gideon think he did not agree. Gideon clapped him on the shoulder, then rose to his feet.
“Once I’ve dealt with the Earl, I shall be done with this,” he assured Lewis. “I will have settled everything. Then, my time will be devoted to being the exemplary Duke. Surpassing my father and his father before him.”
Lewis pushed himself to a stand, stretching the aches from his legs. “You are already twice the man your father ever was, Gideon. I’m sure Jasper would have been proud of you.”
Gideon said nothing to that. It was obvious that Lewis did not fancy his idea to go after the Earl, but he did not want to ask him why. He didn’t need another reason standing between him and his final revenge. Lady Amelia had done a good enough job of that herself.
So he slung an arm around Lewis, and they made their way back to the manor. Now that he felt a renewed sense of purpose, Gideon’s dour mood had improved. In the morning, he would confront Lady Amelia and her ultimatum.
But for tonight, he could comfort himself with the thought that everything would be over soon.
CHAPTER 6
The morning, sun-kissed with dew and crisp air, might have been splendid, had Amelia not been hiding in her bedchamber throughout the most of it. She rose shortly after dawn, her restless thoughts driving her from any meaningful sleep. Memories of the previous evening's ball danced endlessly in her mind.
