Lyra sat straight up at the sound of that firm command, ripped from a sound sleep where she’d felt utterly safe. The voice outside sounded vaguely familiar, but no less threatening.
Alister pushed to a sitting position alongside her, although his movements were slow and stiff because of his injury. Nevertheless, he reached for the pistol with a dark expression. Pulling back the hammer, he told her, “Go ahead.”
Lyra nodded, her heart pounding as she walked over and threw the latch, while Alister took aim at the door. Instantly, a man in a three-tiered greatcoat brushed past her, stomping into the cabin with all the growling personality of a disgruntled bear. When he turned around to glare at her, she instantly felt her stomach drop.
“Roarke!”
“Well, isn’t this a cozy scene?” her brother sneered. “While I’ve been out of my mind with worry for the past three weeks, tearing across the continent to get back to England, I arrive in London only to find out that you’ve shacked up with the Duke of Albright in the middle of the woods in some Godforsaken village!”
Lyra took a step forward. “Roarke, I can explain—”
“I’ve already tried.” Drayven’s sarcastic voice came from the doorway before he strode in and shut the door. “He’s more bullheaded than Alister, if such a thing is possible.”
Roarke thrust a finger at the marquess. “I’ve already warned you once, Sussex.”
“Perhaps if I might be allowed to speak?” Alister said dryly. Since the danger had been dismissed, he was shrugging on his shirt and waistcoat.
“I wish you would,” Roarke said darkly.
Lyra ignored her brother and walked over to Alister’s side. “Shouldn’t you let me take a look at your wound first?”
He winced as he put his arm in his sleeve. “I’m fine.” He turned to her brother. “How about you tell me what has you in such a fit of pique first, Lord Eversleigh.”
“Indeed,” the viscount concurred sharply. “Let me start with the fact that before Mara and I returned to England last night, I was under the impression that Lyra was wrongly imprisoned for the murder of her husband. Then the moment we dock, we hear the most asinine rumors, some of them rampant with speculation. We went to Eversleigh House first to try and make sense of matters, only to find my mother in a fit of the vapors. She explained everything that had happened up until the point of the Harville house party when Lyra mysteriously vanished, along withyou.”
“I’m not sure what Drayven has told you,” Alister began. “But Lyra was helping me to investigate some treasonous activities at Weston Manor. We would have returned last night if it hadn’t been for the fact that Richard chased us off of the property by trying to murder us, and I was shot in the process.”
Roarke’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, Lord Sussex tried to explain, but I couldn’t get past the fact that you would dare to put my sister’s life at risk. Especially when I understand that you were the one responsible for her release from the Tower to begin with.”
“I wanted to help,” Lyra tried to plead on Alister’s behalf, but Roarke didn’t even turn to acknowledge her.
“You’re right,” Alister said bluntly, never once avoiding Roarke’s accusations. “I did put her in harm’s way, but at the same time, I felt she would be safer with me than going off alone.”
Roarke surprised Lyra when he grumbled, “I certainly never let Mara out of my sight any longer than necessary before our marriage. What is it with these blasted women and their tendency to get into trouble?”
“I beg your pardon!”
Again, Lyra was ignored as Alister addressed Drayven. “Did you get the information to Lord Liverpool?”
“I did. Before I left, he was in the process of trying to organize a group of soldiers to go investigate the matter.”
Again, Lyra tried to add to the conversation. “How was it that you and my brother met up?” she asked the marquess.
It was Roarke who answered. “I saw him coming out of Lord Liverpool’s town house. I was on my way there to figure out exactly what the hell was going on and plead innocence on your behalf—”
As he abruptly broke off, Lyra instantly felt her scalp prickle. “Why did you think such a thing was necessary? The murder charges have already been dropped.”
Drayven spoke up. “I’m afraid you haven’t heard the worst of it yet.” He paused. “Lord Weston’s body was found at Grenier’s.”
“Richard isdead?” Lyra felt her knees give way, but Alister steadied her until she could collapse into a chair. “How? When?”
For the first time since his arrival, Roarke appeared somewhat contrite. He shoved a hand through his sandy-blond hair. “The authorities think it was sometime yesterday afternoon.” He sighed. “I won’t go into all the gory details, but it has been defined as murder.” It wasn’t until his eyes met hers reluctantly that she figured it out.
“Dear God.” Lyra covered her mouth with her hand. “They thinkIdid it!” She shook her head with a groan. “I can’t survive another murder accusation!”
“They don’t believe you were working alone,” Drayven said grimly. “After more than one witness saw the altercation between Alister and Coventry, I’m afraidheis also being investigated.”
“So what do we do now?” Lyra asked as she started to pace the floor.
