Page 89 of The Duke’s Rejected Mate

Emma steps forward, her eyes shining as she holds out her hands. “Might I share in the love of little Thomas?”

Teresa looks over at her, a soft smile easing across her face. “Still not with child?”

Emma bites her lip and shakes her head. “It’s not from lack of trying, you understand,” she says as a light blush fans her face.

“Trust me,” Augusta laughs. “We all understand.”

I glance over at Anne, taking in the odd expression on her face, but soon find myself distracted as Teresa pulls out her reticule and brandishes a small gun. We all gasp, and Emma turns a bit, shielding Thomas with her body.

With a wry smile, Teresa displays the small weapon. It’s beautiful with what looks like pearl inlay on the handle. “Joseph wants me to be safe, especially with Thomas around.”

“I can understand that,” I muse. “But how is it that you can be in possession of such a thing?”

“I offered to carry around a sword, since rapiers are more what I’m comfortable with, but Joseph insisted it was unwieldy. This was the compromise.”

She hands it off to Catherine, who holds it by the butt as she passes it to Augusta, who looks at it with utter delight. The women chatter amongst themselves, passing the gun around to everyone but Emma as I settle back into my seat, nearly done with my tea. It does my heart good to see all my friends gathered in one spot.

“Tell me, since we’re all revealing secrets,” I laugh. “Did you all know about my wedding?” They nod their heads, eyes sparkling with happiness.

“Norhaven sent word to all of us on Thursday,” Emma says before making a silly face at Thomas, causing him to laugh.

I turn to Teresa, my face twisted in mock outrage. “You knew?” I ask. “That morning you had me regale you with the tale. You knew?”

“Guilty,” she giggles as she sips her tea. “And I did such a good job at hiding it all. You had not a clue.”

“Not one.”

“Would you like some more tea, Your Grace?” a maid asks at my side.

I jump a bit at the intrusion, so preoccupied that I didn’t realize anyone had come back outside. The voice is unfamiliar to me, causing me to turn and look at them. Odd. I thought I had met everyone in the household. “Are you new to our employ? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

In an instant, she’s behind me, knife at my throat. Only the displacement of air tells me she truly moved. My heart pounds in my chest as the sharp edge meets my delicate skin. As much as I long to cry out through the bond, I find myself stuck in fear, unable to do anything.

The others cry out, their voices ringing about my ears, but soon quiet as she digs the blade in deeper. My pulse races as I drag air in and out of my lungs. After a few moments, spots dance before my eyes, clouding my vision.

I am to die like this? Before I ever even lived?

“Why?” I ask, my voice shaky, barely audible. If I am to leave this world, I would like to know what crime I committed. It’s only fair.

“Why?” she repeats. “Why indeed. Your husband would rightly know. He has the missives. All of them do.”

“Y- you know who’s been sending the letters then?”

Her hand falters just a touch before she readjusts her grip. “You still haven’t figured it out, have you? I am the one. I have been the one keeping your men in a grip of terror as they searched all over London.”

“That’s not possible,” I rasp out, doing my best to keep her distracted as the gun continues to switch hands.

Emma draws in a deep breath and closes her eyes, hugging Thomas to her before she turns around. I do the same, not willing to watch my own death as it happens.

“Why is it not possible?” she cackles. “Because I am a beta? Because I am a woman? Men always underestimate us. Not this time. This time, Norhaven will feel the pain I’ve lived with for years now.”

Behind me, she shifts a bit as she talks to them, nearly standing upright behind me. The knife bites into my neck further from this new angle as warmth slides down. Blood?

Before I can process what I’m feeling, a loud sound rings out. Everything stops for a moment, including my heart. The pressure at my neck bites for a moment more then releases as the knife clatters into my lap.

I stare at it, unblinking, unable to believe what I’m seeing. As I look down, the air shifts again, as a loud thud greets my ears. They still ring as my hands tremble in my lap. The air hangs heavy around me as my mind and body attempt to come to terms.

“Cynthia,” Alessandra cries out as she races to my side, breaking through the haze in my mind.