“Oh, but that’s wonderful news,” said Samantha.She was quiet a moment, and then, “I thought you said Murry would bring her here when he found her, so we could provide the care she needs after such an experience.Before sending word to her brother?”
“Those were the instructions.Yes.”Adrian turned, slowly, for the sake of maintaining whatever calm he possessed for as long as possible.Jaw tight, he held up the letter.“Apparently, Murry has chosen to ignore them completely.”
Instead of the equal outrage he’d expected from his wife, she merely produced a “hmm” sound, then returned her attention to Alexandra.“And?”
“And?”He gaped at her.Surely she knew what this meant.“It’s a breach of trust, Samantha.For the first time in all the years he has been in my employ, Murry has blankly refused an order.The one man who knows first-hand what I do to traitors has turned into one himself.”
“Will you read what he wrote out loud?”
Adrian blinked.He honestly wasn’t sure how to cope with this placid response to what had transpired.Maybe hearing Murry’s words for herself would make her realize how grave the situation was.
“Very well.He says,”—Adrian cleared his throat—“I am taking Lady Edwina elsewhere for recuperation.Her ordeal left a mark that makes her fear her brother’s reaction.She has no wish to go home, and I was compelled to help her avoid this.Rest assured, I shall try to change her mind while giving her the time she needs to process what happened.
“‘You should know that she was drugged, much as I was years ago.Denied the substance, she will feel increasingly unwell before she gets better.I expect it to take a week.
“‘My sincerest apologies for the difficulty this will cause with regard to Wrengate.Unfortunately, I feel that I owe his sister more than I do him, and though my greatest duty in all of this is to you, my choice is made based on the person who needs me the most.I cannot forsake her.’”
“Hmm.”
There it was again, that sound that seemed to say so much without saying anything meaningful at all.Adrian huffed a breath.“What?”
“Murry isn’t so much betraying you as trying to help a damsel in distress.He’s aware that she’s the weakest person in all of this, with no choice of her own once returned to her brother’s care.Personally, I like Murry more for daring to do what he believes to be right.Especially when it means thwarting you, the man for whom he would go to hell and back in a heartbeat.Surely you know this was no easy choice for him to make, so the fact that he made it should tell you that it is of great importance to him.”
“Then he should bloody well have trusted that I would hear him out and offer to lend a hand.If he’d come to me, faced me, and asked for assistance, I’d have given it.”
“Maybe,” she agreed.“But how long would you be able to stand against Wrengate?The man would crush you were he to discover his sister was found and that you weren’t bringing her home.”
“That’s beside the point.”
“I’m not sure Murry or Lady Edwina would agree.”
“I’m going to contact Murdoch.See if his informants can gather some information on where they’re holed up.”
“And when you find them?”
Adrian was already picturing the thrashing he meant to give his valet.The treacherous bastard would be brought back here and whipped until he knew his bloody place.And he would never again walk by Adrian’s side.In fact, he’d learn to muck out the stables and plough the fields at Deerhaven Manor.
“Murry will wish I hadn’t.”
“Adrian…” Samantha’s voice was suddenly grave.“I urge you to consider how loyally Murry has served you over the years, stacked against one decision that didn’t align with what you had in mind.”
“A decision that didn’t align with what I had in mind?”He couldn’t control himself any longer.Did his wife not grasp the enormity of what this meant?
Alexandra yelped a couple of times, and Samantha lifted her upward, shifting her position so Alexandra’s head rested upon her shoulder.
“Murry has always done your bidding without question,” she hissed while stroking her hand up and down Alexandra’s back in long soothing movements.“Last year, if you’ll recall, he was shot while trying to save me.If anything, all he has done for you should have earned him the right to make an informed decision like this without you instantly viewing it as a betrayal.”
“How else am I supposed to view it?”
Alexandra yelped once more before bursting into a full bout of tears.
Samantha stood and began gently bouncing from side to side while hugging Alexandra against her.“I think you should trust that he did this for a good reason, and then I think you ought to forgive him for it.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time such a thing was asked of me, and you know how hard that was.”
“Wonderful,” she clipped as Alexandra began wailing in earnest.“You’ve managed to bring up my flaws as well.And undo the peace I spent over an hour trying to acquire.”
Samantha held the baby toward him.“Here.You take her.The two of you obviously share the same temperament at the moment.”
