“It will only be for a while. And it works in our favor, bringing us closer to our objective,” Godric replied, feeling as though he could use a drink.
“Speaking of – how is your investigation going? Have you obtained promising results? Are we any closer to gaining any evidence of the killer?”
Then, the image of his mother’s body over his flashed through Godric’s mind. He recalled the horror of her face losing color, her body bleeding out blood and warmth, the shrinking lump of flesh and bones his powerful father had been reduced to a few feet away. He let the despair swirl within him and held it close, letting it remind him of his objective, of its significance.
“Just being in this neighborhood, knowing where he lives, and being this close to him makes my blood boil. I wish I could go there and end his life now, the greedy bastard. Make him pay for what he did to my brother and his poor wife.” Luther gritted,looking moments away from grabbing a knife and marching down the street.
“Do not worry, Uncle Luther,” Godric assured. “I have all but caught the killer. And I have ways to make him confess the truth. It was not hard, once I really committed to finding him. Money leaves more trails than people realize. It did not take long for me to find him. He will pay for what he’s done.”
When Godric had properly dedicated his efforts and resources to the investigation of his parents’ death, quite a lot had been uncovered. The constables had claimed the unfortunate event that night was a robbery gone wrong, which led to the death of Godric’s parents. However, nothing had been taken from the home.
When Godric had begun looking into it earnestly, he learned that someone had paid for someone to end the lives of the previous duke and duchess of Ironwell. While the instigator remained a mystery, the identity of the killer had been discovered, and there were plans in place for his capture.
“Do you plan to visit him soon? To confront him? Where is he?” Luther asked, pressing ever so slightly for all the information.
“Do not worry, uncle,” Godric assured calmly. “Everything will be revealed in due time. As you have trusted me to obtain justice for our family, I ask that you trust me to handle this matter with the utmost care and discretion. You will receive all the answers you seek soon.”
His uncle shook his head. “You have taken far too much onto yourself. I worry that I have put too much pressure on you. There is no man born to be an island. You can rely on me for assistance, after all, we have a common goal.”
“You know I prefer to handle my affairs myself. Relying on others has never been my strong suit, and I doubt it ever will. But as I said, uncle, soon, we shall achieve the retribution we seek.” Godric said, his posture the very picture of reliability.
Luther grunted and rose to his feet. “I have raised you to attain excellence at all times. I expect nothing less in this matter. You of all people… you understand how crucial this is, for our family.”
Godric nodded sagely, his voice calm as he replied, “Yes, uncle. I will not fail.”
“I truly hope that you do not. And be mindful of Lord Gramsfield – he is more cunning than he seems,” Luther cautioned.
And then he took his leave.
Godric stood in front of the fireplace, waiting until he was sure his uncle was well on his way to his own abode. When that time arrived, he raised his head and called,
“Dante.”
His right-hand man entered the room briskly, bowing at the duke.
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Put together a group of men to keep an eye on Miss Wightman at all times. Wherever she goes, whoever she speaks with, I need to know.” Godric instructed curtly.
“Right away, Your Grace,” Dante replied, before he slipped out of the room.
Godric continued to watch the flames dance, clutching his hands behind himself tightly.
“Soon. It’ll be over soon.”
“You were gone for a while during the performance the other night, and you did not return until its end. Where did you go?” Penelope asked, reaching for a scone.
Nora stiffened and sighed.
“I only meant to get some air, but Tobias Crane found me and tried to get me to change my mind about our engagement,” she stated, stirring sugar into her tea.
“The audacity of that fiend! How dare he show his face to you after all he has put you through? Some men are truly shameless creatures.” Penelope fumed. “Are you all right? He did not put his hands on you, did he?”
“He certainly tried. The… the duke stopped him before he could, though. Marched in like a swashbuckling hero, saving a privileged damsel in distress.” Nora scoffed.
“You do not sound pleased,” Jane noted, barely lifting her eyes from the book in her hands.
“I am grateful for his help. Tobias is a fool – one who does not understand that it is best to leave well enough alone. And I cannot believe that he claimed to be the greatest match I would find.” Nora sputtered in disbelief.
