‘Perhaps you did fall in love, but you couldn’t be together because she was affianced to Gareth before me. So you arranged the carriage accident. Maybe you were angry when Father insisted she marry me after Gareth passed. Maybe you wanted to get rid of him. Maybe you had a plan to get rid of me next. You tried to poison me, just as Father was poisoned. Laudanum in all the decanters in my chamber. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? It’s a good thing I don’t drink anymore, but you didn’t know that, did you? Perhaps your true goal was the dukedom—no one standing in your way.’
Lord Gerrard turned deathly pale, his knees giving out as he crumpled to the floor. ‘No... no, Gabriel,’ he stammered, shaking his head wildly. ‘We only grew close after Father passed. It happened gradually. When Gareth died, I wasn’t even here—I was on my tour. I barely made it back in time for the funeral.’
‘Perhaps you returned earlier than you let on.’ The Duke was still sceptical.
‘You can ask anyone—the ship’s captain, the people I stayed with in Greece. I can give you their names,’ Gerrard insisted desperately. ‘When you arrived after the funeral, Father wasthe one who wanted you and Jane to be engaged. I had barely spoken to her back then! I had no intentions towards her at all. Then you left again to settle your affairs abroad, despite Father's disapproval. If you had stayed—’ He hesitated before continuing, his voice thick with emotion. ‘After Father’s passing, Jane and I spent more time together, and that’s when we fell in love. There was no deceit, no plan. Just love.’
His breath hitched as he admitted, ‘I was a coward. I should have told you, but I was terrified. But I swear, Gabriel, I would never harm you. We were going to run away to Gretna Green. I do not care about the dukedom—I never have! I only want Jane.’ His voice broke as he choked on his words. ‘I cannot believe you think I would have a hand in Gareth’s or Father’s deaths. I would never do that!’
Tears spilled down his face as he sobbed, shoulders shaking with the force of his grief.
The Duke’s expression remained unreadable, but he finally exhaled sharply. He stepped forward, grasping Gerrard’s arm, and pulled him to his feet. He studied his younger brother carefully before asking him where he was on the day Gibbs was killed. ‘Think. It was the week after Father died.’
‘I was here,’ Gerrard answered quickly. ‘I have not left London since Father died. Ask anyone—ask Elizabeth.’
‘Where were Harry and Edward on that day?’
Lord Gerrard thought a moment. ‘I do not recall seeing them. I think they were attending to some business at their country residence.’
The Duke’s gaze did not waver. ‘And the night before Father died? Who was present?’
‘Well, we all were. Elizabeth had arranged card games.’
From her place in the shadows, Grace listened intently. If Gerrard was lying, it would be easy to prove, but she doubted he was. He could not have killed Gibbs. He was no longer a suspect.
The Duke must have reached the same conclusion, as his posture finally relaxed.
‘Gerrard,’ he said, his voice quieter now, ‘if you had only told me that you wished to marry Jane, I would have made it happen.’
Gerrard’s breath hitched. His swollen eyes widened in disbelief.
‘I will speak with Jane,’ the Duke continued, his tone firm yet calm. ‘She will call off our engagement. It is a lady's prerogative to cry off an engagement without suffering scandal. At the ball, we will announce your engagement instead. People will talk, but we will manage it.’
Gerrard stood frozen, unable to process his brother’s words. When they finally registered, he surged forward and embraced the Duke, gripping him tightly as relief and joy overwhelmed him.
For a full minute, he clung to his older brother, unable to speak.
Lord Armitage—ever the stoic—hesitated before finally returning the embrace.
AFTER LORD GERRARDleft the library, Grace emerged and saw the Duke. His back was turned towards her, his head slightly bowed, one hand covering his face. She hesitated. He had just learned that his brother had betrayed him and lost his fiancée in the process. This would wound him deeply.
Approaching cautiously, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. ‘I am sorry.’
She wanted to offer comfort but was unsure how. As she stepped around him to peer into his face, she was taken aback. Instead of sorrow, he was smiling.
Grace blinked. Confusion turned to mild concern for Lord Armitage’s mental state. She had heard that extreme trauma could sometimes produce unusual emotions. Choosing her words carefully, she asked, ‘Are you... all right?’
He let out a quiet laugh. ‘I have never been so relieved.’
She frowned. ‘Err... not to seem pessimistic, but I fail to see the bright side of this situation. You have just lost your fiancée—to your brother, no less!’
His amusement only deepened. ‘I have been uneasy for so long, suspecting that Gerrard was responsible for the murders. But now I see I was wrong. He’s innocent.’
‘Innocent?’ she echoed incredulously. ‘I wouldn’t go that far—he has beencarrying onwith Lady Jane behind your back and was about to run away with her to Gretna Green tomorrow night!’
‘Ah, that is precisely the beauty of it. If Gerrard had intended to kill me, he would have no need to run away. The fact that he planned to elope proves he was not trying to eliminate me. So, yes, I am relieved.’ His eyes gleamed with mirth.
‘As for Lady Jane,’ he continued, ‘I have suspected her disinterest in our engagement from the beginning. We both agreed to it out of duty to our parents, and I could not refuse my father—especially after Gareth’s death. I assumed her reluctance was grief for my brother... I did not realise it wasGerrardshe loved.’ His scowl returned, and Grace suspected it was his brother’s betrayal, rather than Jane’s, that truly stung.
