Edgar’s gaze sliced to me.
But they…
Already suspected?
Oh myGod.
This was adisaster.
“And her mother didn’t commit suicide,” Loren continued,words that made me stop in my tracks.“She’s still alive.”
“Make one more move to that door, Derryman, I won’t callLoren off this time,” Ansley warned.
I looked back at Dad-not-Dad, who was now stopped inhistracks on his way to the door.
He appeared both flipped out and fit to be tied.
But…
My mom from this worldkilled herself?
“I don’t know what he’s been up to or why,” Loren went on.“But the Maxine you met at the sanitorium is now being held captive, along withher mother, so this Maxine would be forced to return fromFleuridiaand marry me.”
“You met my daughter?”Edgar asked Ansley, soundinghorrified, so horrified, in those three words, he gave it all away.
I knew this with the glance Ansley shot at him before hespoke.“You were delaying,” the duke returned easily.“I’m not a man to be putoff.I set some investigators on it.Found your daughter.Discovered the storyof her horse accident and subsequent head injury.But we had a lovely fewvisits, as she is that.Although frozen in time at the age of six when she washurt, she’s most lovely.”
Horse accident.
At six.
Head injury.
Okay, that explained a few things.
I wondered if Mom had figured that out yet.
“Is she Maxine?”Ansley asked Edgar, then nodded to me.“Oris this Maxine?”
Edgar pushed his nose in the air and stated, “You cannothold me here.I’ll be away in the now.Andyou,” he sniped at me, “canbe trapped here and live to your dying breath with your regret.”
He then made a move to leave.
This didn’t work out too well for him because, within aboutfive seconds, his ass was in a chair and Loren was looming over it, gloweringdown at him.
I witnessed it, and except for seeing moves like that inmovies, I’d never seen anything like it.
It…was…awesome.
“Do you wish to suffer the indignity of being tied to it?”he asked Dad-not-Dad in the kind of tone you’d ask someone if they wantedanother glass of champagne.
Okay, not awesome.
Bad…freaking…ass.
“This isn’t to be borne!”Edgar shouted in return.
“You will speak when spoken to,” Ansley proclaimed and thensaid, “Ah, Eaton, again, so sorry, but we’re having a busy night.First, a coldcompress for the countess.Second, please detain all of the count’s staff.Ifyou must be creative in that endeavor, do so.”
