“I don’t believe you, Mr. Woodland.” She shook her head. “I also didn’t believe Tabitha when she was relaying her sad story to me about not being able to love a marquess. At first I thought she was being truthful, but then I realized she was substituting names to protect you. When she referred to a man named Nic, I knew she was thinking of you. She just didn’t want me to know the truth, but I have a sharp mind.”
“What…did Tabitha say about loving a marquess?” he wondered. Although he wanted to know, he mainly wanted to keep Miss Talbot busy so he could think of a way out of this mess—while his head swam in a fog, no less.
“She wailed on about how life was unfair. She called herself a servant—which I knew she wasn’t—and that she was in love with a marquess, but she knew Society wouldn’t approve.”
For a moment, happiness bounced in his chest with the knowledge that Tabitha was indeed in love with him. “Was that all she said?”
“Did you know that she was born out of wedlock? How revolting!” She shook her head. “And apparently, because of her status in life, she felt you—her imaginary marquess—deserved a better wife.”
Just as he had suspected. That was the reason she had pushed him away. “Actually, she wasn’t imagining anything of the sort. She is in love with a marquess, just as the marquess is in love with her.”
Confusion crossed Mildred’s face and she scowled. “What are you talking about?”
He brushed his hands through his powdered hair, removing the white color. Then he shrugged out of Frederick’s jacket that was nearly two sizes too large for Nic. He tightened the material of his shirt around his waist, showing the older woman that he wasn’t fat. Of course if she remembered how he looked when he was wet the other morning, then she’d know something was off about him. “I’m not the clergyman. I’m his cousin, Dominic Lawrence, Marquess of Hawthorne. We first met approximately five months ago. Do you not remember?”
“I—I—I don’t understand.” She clutched the knife with both hands now, still holding it toward him.
“My cousin and I switched roles. For approximately two months Frederick feigned sick so that I could grow a beard, which would help me look more like my cousin. Then I told everyone I had lost weight due to my sickness.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m telling the truth, and if my cousin were here now, he would prove to you that he’s the true clergyman, and not I.” Hesitantly, he reached out his hand toward her. “Miss Talbot…Mildred, please give me the knife. Nobody needs to die over this.”
Shaking her head, she slashed the knife toward him. He jumped back and stumbled again. The wooziness in his head was still in control. Blast it all! Glancing down at his shirt, he noticed she had ripped the material. Thankfully, though, the knife hadn’t touched his skin.
“Don’t call me Mildred. You do not have the right.”
“Miss Talbot, please let me help you.”
“You want to help me?” Tilting back her head, she cackled with laughter. “Then stand still so I can push this knife into your deceiving heart.”
“Why do you want to kill an innocent man? You thought I was the clergyman, and I’m not. I know you are in love with my cousin, but I’m not him. So in reality, you haven’t been hurt in the least. I love Tabitha, and so you can still love Frederick.”
“Oh, you think I’m obtuse, don’t you? If you are indeed Lord Hawthorne, then I remember well about your reputation as a rogue. And since you are a rogue, then you must die because I’m quite certain you have broken many hearts along your journey.”
“But Miss Talbot, you’re forgetting something else. Because I’m not Frederick, Tabitha hasn’t betrayed you in any way. Tabitha lovesme, not my cousin. I pray, let her go, because she’s innocent…more so than I.”
Miss Talbot hesitated. A different emotion crossed her face, making her appear more forgiving and understanding. He hoped she at least pondered on this good and hard—for several minutes would be nice, since he still hadn’t figured out a way to defend himself.
He glanced at the stove which was close to him. The tea kettle was still there, and the water would be hot. Perhaps this was the answer. Now he could only hope his movements were faster than hers.
From somewhere in the house, a loud crash shook the walls. Mildred gasped and swung toward the hallway, but her gaze moved up to the ceiling. Something—or someone—was upstairs.Tabitha?
With the spinster’s back toward him, he took the opportunity and grabbed at the tea kettle. In one smooth movement, he turned the kettle and let the water splash on Mildred. She dropped the knife and screamed. Taking several steps backward, she staggered and fell to the ground. When her back touched the floor, she screamed louder and rolled to her front. Nic knew she’d received some burns, which was why she reacted in such a way.
He reached for the knife that was by his feet, but tripped. Thankfully, though, he was still able to grab it.
Miss Talbot glared at him and struggled to stand. He held the knife toward her and shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Nic? Is that you?”
An angelic voice drifted from the hallway and softened his heart. He lifted his gaze just in time to see Tabitha peek around the corner as she leaned against the wall. His heart soared with gladness. She wasn’t hurt…although she did look as dazed as he felt. If Miss Talbot overcame her pain and turned on him, would they be able to fend her off in their state of lightheadedness?
“Tabitha, my love. I’m here.”
Tears streaked down her face as she moved slowly toward him, but then stopped when she noticed Miss Talbot on the floor.
“She won’t hurt you. I have the knife,” he told Tabitha. “Keep coming toward me.”
