Reginald faced him. “You’ll do no such thing. You’re not well enough to ride or physically encounter someone with violence on his mind. I’ll go. It’s my fault this has been unleashed and I must handle it.”
Silas stared at his brother for no longer than a few seconds. While he didn’t entirely trust Reg, the fact was that he needed help. Arabella might need help. That overrode any hesitation he might have.
“Will you contact the guard?” he asked Charlie. “I know you don’t like the attention?—”
“I would never see someone come to harm just to protect myself from scandal, for God’s sake. Certainly not someone you love and who obvious cares deeply for you.” Charlie shook his head. “I will send for them immediately and have them go straight to Arabella’s home. Now go!”
Silas was already rushing from the chamber, Reginald on his heels. They didn’t wait for the sneering Poole but went out and straight to the stables. Silas was struggling to put a saddle on his horse when Reggie grabbed his arm.
“You’re shaking too hard to ride and I came here in Charlie’s carriage. We’ll take that.”
Silas bit back a breath. Everything in him wished to argue, but they were wasting precious time and the carriage was already prepared, the driver coming up into his seat as Reggie gave him directions and told him to race as hard as he could.
“Very well,” Silas said and followed his brother into the vehicle, which then thundered from Silas’s gate, rushing toward Arabella’s home. He couldn’t help but yank the curtain back and continually stare out the window, as if he could will the carriage to go faster.
“I am sorry,” Reggie said softly, drawing his attention away from city streaking by.
Silas glared at him. “I don’t doubt you had no idea this man would threaten her. But my God, why would you work so hard to get rid of her?”
Reggie let out a long breath and his expression crumpled. “Do you know what Father used to do to Charlie? Long before you came along, long before our mother died?”
“No,” Silas said, and then reached up to brace himself on the carriage ceiling as the driver careened around a slower rig. He could hear the curses of the other driver even from inside.
Reg let out a shaky breath. “He beat him. I always tried to intervene, to stop him, but he wouldn’t be stopped. And one night he beat him so badly, he couldn’t breathe. Broke one of his ribs, I suppose, perhaps even bruised his lungs. Phoebe and I stood with our mother around Charlie’s bed and prayed he wouldn’t die. Somehow he didn’t, but only through a miracle, I think. Seeing his heir nearly die scared the marquess enough that he didn’t do it again.”
“My God,” Silas breathed. “I knew the man was a bastard, a true one, not by blood. But to harm a child?”
“It was disgusting. A dreadful thing to do.” Reggie’s breath got shaky. “When Charlie lived, I vowed to stand by him. To do everything I could to make his life…easier.”
“That’s why you’re so angry with me,” Silas breathed as understanding dawned.
Reg shook his head. “It’s foolish, I know. It wasn’t your fault you were born to such a man. That he used you as a pawn to hurt your mother. That he fought with all his might to turn all of us against you and to lock you out for his own twisted pleasure. But when you started to go wild, I saw the strain it put on Charlie. Father made sure it put strain on him.”
“He made him responsible, I know,” Silas sighed. “Charlie used to show up at my old place here in London and try to put me back on the straight and very narrow path. And I always rebuffed him. I had no idea the old man lorded that over him or I would have told the last marquess to go straight to hell, myself.”
Reg gave a slight smile. “His old injuries sometimes bother him. Make it hard to breathe. When you left, it happened. And then it started again months ago and your return frightened me. The idea that you would race around just being…you. Untethered.”
“I do understand,” Silas said. “And I thank you for helping me do that. The last thing I’d want to do is harm Charlie. I came home because the idea of him dying without us coming to some resolution was horrible. I think we all want the same thing.”
“To be a family,” Reg said with a sigh.
“But we can’t do it on the terms our father laid out, you must see that.” The carriage turned down the last street leading to Arabella’s. “And we can discuss that more after I’ve ensured the woman I love is safe.”
“Absolutely.”
As they peeled into the drive, Silas burst from the carriage before it even came to a full stop. He rushed to the front door and began to pound on it, calling Arabella’s name. Most of the lights were out, even though it wasn’t particularly late, and it took far too long for Barnaby to finally arrive at the door.
When he answered, the butler was not in his usual formal garb, but in a plain linen shirt, no jacket or waistcoat and his hair was slightly mussed.
“Mr. Windham, we weren’t expecting you,” Barnaby said.
“Is Arabella well?” Silas asked, pushing past him. “Where is she?”
“She’s fine, sir,” Barnaby said, casting a quick glance at Reginald as he entered the room behind Silas. “But she asked for food to be brought to her chamber less than an hour ago and retired.”
Silas was already going up the stairs. “Arabella!” he called out. “Arabella, please answer me!”
Barnaby wedged himself between Silas and his brother as all three men moved up the stairs. “Sir, I don’t know what is going on, but you cannot just?—”
