‘There’s a small cellar with a lock and key.’ Percy’s jubilant tones interrupted Grace as he limped back into view.
‘Right then, lead on Percy,’ Reverend Shackleford ordered. ‘Let’s waste no more time on these unpleasant individuals.’ He stepped closer to the Admiral and waved his pistol threateningly. ‘Your disgraceful activities are finished Atwood. Your wife may well be dicked in the deuced nob, but you have no excuse for the way you’ve treated your nephew.’
‘Let me help,’ the Admiral commented in a low anguished voice, entirely ignoring his wife’s indrawn gasp of outrage.
For a second the Reverend thought he’d misheard. ‘I think you’ve provided more than enough help you blackguard,’ he sputtered after a second.
‘Your actions are beyond despicable,’ Grace added icily. ‘You are truly a loathsome little man with absolutely no honour and I for one hope you swing for your part in this.’
The Reverend looked over at his daughter in astonishment. Truly he had no idea his eldest could be quite so violent.
‘Move,’ he ordered, waving his pistol around threateningly.
The Admiral held out his hands in entreaty. ‘Please,’ he murmured brokenly. ‘What I did was unforgivable I know, and I did it to my own flesh and blood. I have no excuse, but I…I was desperate.’
‘Desperate enough to have your nephew murdered for his money,’ spat the Reverend, his voice radiating disgust.
The Admiral shook his head. ‘I…I’m dying,’ he rasped.
Reverend Shackleford raised his eyebrows. ‘Forgive me if I don’t shed any tears,’ he responded, realising as he spoke that the Admiral’s wife was now regarding her husband in shock. Clearly, she didn’t know, though he couldn’t imagine how she’d missed it. He’d seen livelier corpses.
‘I have syphilis,’ Benjamin Atwood admitted brokenly. He looked down at his wife. ‘Fifteen years.’
‘That…that woman in Belgium,’ breathed Caroline, forcing back a sob. The Admiral closed his eyes. He hadn’t realised she’d known about Marie. ‘That’s why you never touched me again.’ Her voice became stronger, and she almost shouted the wordtouch.
‘Now just a deuced minute,’ Augustus Shackleford interrupted, anxious to head off any violence. ‘Nobody here wishes to know about your habits in the bedroom.’
‘I couldn’t risk passing it on to you,’ the Admiral responded, ignoring the Reverend’s comment. He did not add that the only woman who’s bed he even now yearned to be in was long dead.
Benjamin Atwood looked over at the Reverend. His gaze was that of a man who cared not whether he lived or died. Clearly the price of what had been done to his nephew, however desperate the Admiral had been, was far too high for the man to live with.
‘Please,’ he repeated desperately, ‘let me help.’
‘Benjamin, no,’ cried out Caroline, her skeletal hands grasping hold of her husband’s arm.
Admiral Atwood continued without looking at his wife.
‘I cannot allow Henry to commit any further atrocities,’ he continued hoarsely, ‘God knows he’s led me by the nose long enough.’
Caroline Atwood, pulled at his arm, hysterical sobs now shaking her thin frame. ‘How could you say such a thing about your own son?’ she shouted. ‘Henry would never hurt Gabriel,never.’
Admiral Atwood looked distastefully down at the frenzied woman hanging on to his arm. ‘If you believe so, why haven’t you encouraged a move to Northwood Court?’ he demanded. ‘Why have you been content to stay here burying your head in the sand and living like a pauper?’ He shook off her hand.
‘You know our son’s nature as well as I do,’ he continued. ‘That’s why you’ve stayed well away. Doing so means your conscience remains clear.’
Before either the Reverend or Grace could react to the Admiral’s words, Caroline gave a shriek and launched herself at her husband. ‘You’re a liar,’ she screamed, attempting to gouge out his eyes.
‘Tare an’ hounds,’ muttered Augustus Shackleford, turning hastily towards Grace who was just as dumb struck.
Caroline Atwood’s strength belied her feeble appearance and within seconds, she’d knocked her husband to the floor, where she continued to pummel him with her fists as the Reverend, Grace and Percy looked on in horrified disbelief.
Fortunately, there was one member of their party who was not entirely rooted to the spot. Freddy, who’d been watching the proceedings with tail wagging interest, needed no further urging. Barking furiously, he tore across the hall, immediately drawing the fighting couple’s terrified attention. Scrambling apart, they scooted backwards while Freddy sat directly in front of them and simply growled low and menacingly.
‘I think now would be a good time to lock them up sir.’
∞∞∞
‘There are recent hoof prints around the entrance to the Court,’ Roan commented as he strode back to the waiting men. ‘By my estimation, they have been there no more than a pair of hours.’
