***
The afternoon was waning,and Travell hadn’t yet returned to Rosewood. Alyssa didn’t want to thinksomething tragic might have befallen him, but concern was etched there in the back of her mind.It would be rather ironic that she’d finally gotten what she’d always wanted, had found the courage to grasp it with both hands, only for it to be ripped away from her.
She sat in the parlor across from Triana and tried to read while the duchess continued her needlepoint while the duke had gone out riding, but try as she might, Alyssacouldn’t focus on the story. She wasn’t even sure she’d turned a single page in the last fifteen minutes. In the end, she set it aside with a sigh.
Echoing the sentiment, Trianastuck her needle in the fabric and did the same. “That was your ninth sigh in the last half hour. And yes, I was keeping track.”
Alyssa winced. “I’m sorry. I’m just…worriedthat something happenedto Travellin London.”
“Travell is more than capable of handling any issue that might arise, whatever it may be,” the duchess returned. “Surely you know him well enough to believe that.”
“Of course I do, but—”She paused and frowned, for it sounded as if a carriage was coming down the drive. Her spirits sankasshe stood. If Caroline haddecided to pay another visit, it would be more than she could bear. But when she glanced out the window, it was an unmarked carriage that paused before the front doors.
“Who is it?” Triana asked.
“I’m not sure,” Alyssamurmured, but when a woman alighted with a determined set of her shoulders, followed by a man who looked none too reputable,as well as James and Caroline,her heart began to pound.
The duchess joined her andfrowned. “This doesn’t bode well.”She reached out and gripped Alyssa’s arm. “Do you thinkthey’re here forFather?”
Alyssa wondered the same thing, but she wasn’tso certainthat was the victim they were after. As the foursome walked up the front steps and disappeared from sight, she turned to Triana. “I think we’re about to find out.”
“Sir! Madam! You must be announced!” The sound of Ives’ harried voice carried to the parlor, where Alyssa and Triana exchanged a look of concern.
An older womanwas the first to bustle into the room.She wasratherbuxom with graying, blond hair pulled back into a severe bun.Her faceshowed only a few wrinkles, butwas set withhighdetermination as sheglaredat Alyssa. “That’s her!” She lifted an arm and pointedatheras if she was guilty of some sort of crime.
As James and Caroline came into view, the latter wearing a rather smug expression, it was the strange man who advanced in her directionthat truly struck fear into Alyssa’s heart.
“Lady Alyssa Breyton?”His voice was monotone, without even a hint of kindness.
Alyssa swallowed, but since there was no use denying it, she said, “Yes.”
He brought forth a pair of iron manacles and proceeded to clap one of her wrists. However, Triana stepped between them and said firmly, “I’m the Duchess of Chiltern andI demand to know what’s going on! This lady is a guesthere.”
“Thislady—”The elderladymoved forward. “—is a threat to my daughter andher household. Not only did this womantry to murder her own cousin by pushing him down the stairsand making it appear an accident, but Lady Lockley has also given a full account of Lady Alyssa’srecenterraticbehavior, including the attempt to harm herself.She saw the bruises on the gel’s neck!Inlightof this evidence James hashad no choice but to agreeto commit herto TicehurstHousefor her own protection.Mr. Graves is with the hospitaland has graciously agreed to escort her there.”
Alyssa wavered on her feet and had to clutch the back of a chair for support. She had known Caroline was nasty, but she never imagined she might commit her to a mental institution. But where she was too shocked to speak, Triana had no such compunctions.
The duchess addressed the man before her. “These are preposterous allegations with no truth to any of them! The fact is that Lord Lockley was too deep in his cups to walk and he fell down the stairs, and I assure you that any other accusations that Lady Lockley might have given on behalf of Lady Alyssa are just as false.” Triana stared at Caroline. “The baroness is lashing out because she’s jealous. My brother has refused her advances, so now she intends to take out her anger on Lady Alyssa.”
Caroline put a hand to her chest as if she was horrified at the mere thought. She laid her head on James’ shoulder, where he put his arm around her for a show of comfort. Alyssa almost applauded their performance.
The woman who could only beLady Fremont waved her hand in their direction. “Do you not see how upsetting the gel is to a respectable couple who have done nothing but treat her with kindness?Even in spite of her recent behavior, they have graciously chosen to send her to a comfortable establishment, rather than subject her to the horrors of Bedlam.And how does she repay them?” She shook her head. “I believe you have it wrong, Your Grace. Lady Alyssa has long been a frequent guest at Rosewood without a proper chaperone. I imagine if we summoned a physician to prove her innocence, she would not be without blemish!She will drag the Breyton name through the mud and any respectability will be lost.”
Triana gaspedin outrage, but at that moment, the Duke of Chiltern appeared. His hair was still windblown from his afternoon ride, but his face was dark andratherthunderous.The moment he spied James and Caroline, they shifted away from him.
Lady Fremont did not.
“What’s going on in here?” he demanded. “I could hear shouting all the way to the foyer!”
“Perhaps you will listen to reason where your wife has not, Your Grace,” Lady Fremont intoned. “My daughter hasinformed me of thisthreat in her house,and I have come to remove it. Lady Alyssa is to be removed to Ticehurst this afternoon where she can receive the help she requires in one so despondent and beyond the loving help of her family.”
The duke looked at her for a moment, as if he couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. Finally he took a step forward. “The lady isn’t going anywhere. She is not a concern for Lord and Lady Lockley any longer. She is now the guest of Lord Curdiff. As his brother-in-law, I speak on his behalf in his absence.”
Lady Fremont lifted her chin defiantly. “Be that as it may, Lord Lockley is still the gel’sclosest male relative. It is his choice how to handle the situation and he has confirmed that the best thing for Lady Alyssa is to be committed at once.” She turned toMr. Graveswhocontinued to hold the manacles. “Come along. We don’t have all day. Restrain the gel before she becomes unruly.”
Alyssa could tell he wavered between doing his duty and crossing a duke. Even if Gabriel wasn’t in charge of her welfare, he likely realized such a high-ranking peer could make things very difficult for him.
However, in the end, he broke down under Lady Fremont’s direct stare. He moved forward and clapped one of the manacles around Alyssa’s wrist, but before he could attach the second, Lord Trenton’s irate voice rippled throughout the room.
