“Very true.”
“They are both greedy buggers, and I plan to see them arrested immediately.”
As she stared at Calvin, she couldn’t believe he was the same man she’d been engaged to not long ago. He’d acted like a boy still in his youth when he left for battle, only to return a headstrong man who took chances. She admired him for that.
“Why are you looking at me so strangely?” he asked with a crooked grin.
“Because you are not the same person now as when you left me.”
“I have changed.”
“And what about your heart? Has it changed as well? Did you ever love me?” she wondered aloud.
His grin disappeared. “I think I did love you. I mean, I entered into battle hoping it would make me a hero in your eyes—and the eyes of Society—and hoped it would make me some money in the process. I knew I could never afford the lifestyle you are used to, but I wanted to try.” He shrugged and turned his gaze away from her. “However, over the years I realized I enjoyed being one of the prince’s spies. You were in my mind those years, but you were not utmost in my heart.” He glanced at her. “Are you upset at me for admitting that?”
“No. Although I did mourn for you, so in a way, I feel cheated. I didn’t want to meet any other man for fear he would erase the fond memories I had of you.”
He was silent for a few moments before he sighed heavily. “Fate has a strange way of working out, don’t you agree? If I had returned to marry you, would we have been truly happy? If you hadn’t mourned for me, could you have fallen in love with Vincent so deeply?”
Warmth spread across her face. Calvin’s words held so much meaning. He was correct. If these things had not happened to her, she wouldn’t have given her heart to Vincent. And truly, she loved him so very much that she ached.
“Yes, Calvin. I see now that mourning for you helped me.”
They rode for another few minutes before he pulled his horse to a stop. Grumbling, he scrubbed his hand over his goatee. “Perhaps Edgar didn’t take Vincent anywhere on your father’s property.”
“But didn’t you see them go this direction?”
“Yes, but he could have gone farther, and I wouldn’t have seen that.”
Her mind replayed everything Calvin had said about being an agent and what he suspected of Edgar and Augusta. “You mentioned that Edgar would kill Vincent on this property to make it appear as if Father was to blame.”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “But that doesn’t make sense. If Augusta and Edgar did that, my father would be stripped of his fortune and lands. The duke’s family would get nothing.”
Calvin narrowed his eyes on her and nodded. “You’re correct.” He paused again, appearing that he was in deep thought as he stared at one spot toward the horizon.
She tried to recall everything she knew about Edgar, but she really didn’t know him. He had always just been Augusta’s nephew. There were no stories on how they were related, exactly, or where he’d come from. She didn’t know a lot about Augusta, either. When had her father met the woman? What was her life like before she married the duke?
Finally, a memory broke through. Augusta had bragged about her family owning some land just north of here. Ellie realized now how much she had lied, but would the woman lie about this? Ellie hoped not, because this was their only shot of finding Vincent.
She searched the land before pointing north. “Let’s go in that direction. If I recall correctly, one of the ways Augusta used to get close to my father was telling him her family owned some land not far from here.”
Calvin nodded and pushed his horse faster. Having ridden sidesaddle since she was a young girl, she knew how to ride with the best of them. She tightened her leg around the horn, ducked slightly, and urged her horse faster.
It didn’t take too long before she noticed a worn-down hut amongst some sparse trees. Calvin must have seen it as well, because he straightened and led his horse toward the structure. When they came closer, both she and Calvin slowed their animals to a trot.
He turned to her and placed a finger to his lips, hushing her. She nodded. Two horses stood near the pitiful shack. Her heart pounded against her chest as fear clawed its way through her. Had they made it on time?
Please, Lord, let Vincent be alive.
Calvin stopped his horse first, and she halted Pegasus right next to his animal. He helped her down before taking the reins and hooking them around a tree, then reached in his saddlebag and withdrew two pistols, handing one to her.
She looked down at the weapon in her hand. Shock froze her limbs when she realized just how dangerous this situation was.
Calvin held a stern expression and gave her a nod. “Don’t worry. I won’t allow them to hurt you.”
Taking a deep breath, Ellie tried to prepare herself. Calvin would know how to use a pistol, but she didn’t. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get the chance to do it today.
