Growling, Edgar whipped out a knife from his boot and pointed it at Vincent. He held his breath. Had he gone too far? Or would Edgar fall for his trickery?
*
Ellie wore apermanent smile as she wandered through her mother’s flower garden—which, thankfully, Augusta had decided to keep after becoming the duchess. Finally, after two harrowing weeks, Ellie felt at peace. After the talk she’d had with her father during the drive back to the estate this morning, he promised that he would send Augusta and her vile nephew to the winter estate in Essex. Ellie just wished her father had a good reason to divorce the woman. England and the church frowned upon divorces, yet living with a woman like Augusta would ruin anyone’s life.
While her father arranged for tomorrow’s wedding, Ellie had taken a nap. The much-needed rest had refreshed her, as did the bath afterward, and now all she wanted was to see Vincent again. She wanted to be in his arms and kiss his tender lips. She wanted to gaze into his dreamy blue-gray eyes, and thank God how lucky she was to have found him to marry.
That first day when her father had told her she had a month to find a husband, Ellie was prepared to enter a loveless marriage. Now she was grateful that she wouldn’t have to.
She stopped by the red roses and bent to take a sniff. These flowers, out of all of them, reminded her most of her mother. Sadness crept into her heart as she relived the heartache of losing her parent to sickness. The physician couldn’t say what had killed her mother, but thankfully, she hadn’t been sick for very long before the good Lord took her up to heaven.
Her mother had loved tending the rosebushes, instead of having the servants do it. When Ellie was young, she recalled taking walks through the garden with her mother as she clipped the dead leaves.
Her attention was pulled to something sticking out of the ground. Ellie bent and pushed back the dirt. A letter was stuck between two rocks. How long had it been here?
She brushed the soil off the old paper and carefully unfolded it. Immediately, she recognized Augusta’s handwriting. Ellie gritted her teeth as she read the letter.
My dearest Edgar, our plans will soon come together, and we will finally be able to live a life of love, just as we have always wanted. I made certain that the Duchess of Primberry was given the poison. She will soon meet her maker, and I will continue to get close to the duke in his time of grieving and convince him to marry me. Soon, his daughter, Ellie, will be ready to marry, and you shall ask for her hand. Between the two of us, my dearest Edgar, we shall have the duke’s fortune and lands. We will finally be able to love each other as we have dreamed of doing. It won’t take much to see that the duke and his daughter’s deaths are quick and painless. Until then, we shall continue to convince people that you are really my nephew, and that I am your aunt.
Always yours, Augusta Long
Shock vibrated through Ellie and her stomach twisted with nausea. Before she could stop it, her breakfast jumped from her stomach to her throat. She darted toward the nearest tree to vomit.
Anger shook through her trembling body as she clutched the letter, fearful that she would lose the only evidence that showed her mother had been murdered…and that she and her father were next. Augusta was indeed an evil stepmother, and Ellie was determined that the woman would not win. Neither would Edgar! Ellie would see to it that both were thrown in the gaol…or hanged.
She gripped her middle, feeling that her stomach still had more to release. Tears swam in her eyes. Hatred forthat womanand her evil so-called nephew grew quickly inside her. She wanted to wrap her fingers around the woman’s throat and squeeze…
No. She wouldn’t take a life. She wouldn’t sink totheirlevel. Ellie would let the law do their job and arrest the two frauds.
Poor Father! He would want to kill his own wife, too. But Ellie would try to convince him that wasn’t the proper thing. Taking a life for a life was not the answer.
She stood and moved on unsteady legs toward the manor. Her stomach continued to rumble, but she fought back the feeling and concentrated on making it to the house to find her father. Tears swam in her eyes, making her vision blurry. No matter how many times she wiped away the moisture, more would come.
“Eleanor!”
She stopped and turned toward the man hurrying toward her, waving his arm. She blinked again and recognized Lord Calvin. She swiped the wetness under her eyes again, hoping to finally remove the tears dampening her face.
“Eleanor, something awful has happened—” His words stopped when he stood in front of her. “What is amiss, my dear?”
Raising her shaky hand that still held the letter, she presented it to him. “I…just found this.”
His forehead creased with worry lines as he took the letter and opened it. He scanned the contents and his eyes widened. “Augusta killed your mother?”
She nodded. “Yes, and as you can see, she wants to kill me and my father as well.”
Lord Calvin stepped closer and took her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest. Immediately, she realized he wasn’t anything like Vincent. Still, it was nice of him to try to comfort her right now.
“There’s actually more,” he said in a low tone.
She raised her head. “More?”
“Yes. That is why I’m here. Edgar has kidnapped Vincent and plans to kill him, but I don’t know where he has taken him.”
Anger rushed through her again. She pushed away from Lord Calvin. “Did you see Edgar take him?”
“Yes, but I was on foot and Edgar was on horseback. All I know is that they must be somewhere near your estate.”
Panicked, she couldn’t think straight. Vincent was in trouble, and she needed to rescue him. Her head throbbed with frustration as she tried thinking of where on her father’s property the madman could keep her beloved.
