Page 32 of Her Wily Duke

There was a sudden silence in the room as they took in his words, and a rustle of whispers from the hall outside the room. As Adam had expected, Frederick was not overjoyed by the news.

“All this time,” Frederick said. Given his tone of voice, which was bitter and a little angry, and his downcast expression, it was not clear whether he was addressing Adam or the ground. “All this time, behind my back — and I, not having a clue…”

Adam found that melodramatic statement almost funny, given that Frederick had accused him of ‘wanting Emme for himself’ not so very long ago.

At that moment, Wiggins ushered the servants in, and Adam was happy to see that they all looked pleased, and were smiling. Frederick, however looked very unhappy to have an audience.

“I think it is absolutely wonderful,” said Caroline, clapping her hands and looking around in delight at all of the smiling servants. “She is the finest instructor a girl could ask for, and I have no doubt that she’ll make a fine wife, and sister-in-law!”

So elated was Caroline by this (apparently) sudden turn of events that she hardly noticed that her delight was not shared by everyone present. (In truth Wiggins and Walham could not have been more pleased, but dared not show that, beyond a smile, for fear of provoking the Duke’s wrath).

“It’s an outrage,” said Frederick in a voice of muted fury, causing the servants to shrink back a little, and look at Adam uncertainly.

“Why?”

Caroline was staring at him with wide eyes, aghast.

“Because for these many months” — here he pointed a shaking finger at his brother— “these two have been engaged in a conspiracy to undermine me. They have driven together without my knowledge or consent, and without a chaperone, which in itself is, or ought to be, sufficient grounds for scandal. Heaven only knows what they have been doing together during those lonely hours.”

Adam suspected that Frederick had hardly considered the truth of this before he said it – for the aristocracy generally would not regard an employee as requiring that sort of propriety.

Frederick had likely only said the words because it gave him something more to be angry about, to attack Adam with. But once he had uttered the words, his face went pale, and then flushed red, and Adam suspected at that moment that Frederick was imagining Emme and Adam passionately kissing in a grove somewhere, and he, Frederick, not being able to do a thing in the world to stop them. It was the sort of thing that Frederick would think…

Frederick’s face reddened with what looked like a mixture of humiliation, jealousy, and longing. His body stiffened and coiled like a serpent preparing to strike.

“Everything sets out to hurt me… I won’t stand for it anymore,” he said. “The damned highwayman has taken what he could from me, and you” — pointing at Adam again — “you have taken everything else.”

“You speak as though Miss Mowatt belonged to you,” said Wiggins in an incredulous voice, unable to contain his reaction.

Frederick gripped the back of his neck tightly, looking as though he wanted to respond in the affirmative. Adam merely stood there, quietly gazing at Frederick and waiting for the storm to pass.

“I’ve lost everything,” Frederick said again in a pitiable voice. “My reputation… half of what my estate was worth… and now her… I should…”

Adam raised one eyebrow at his brother. The way that he was talking, it sounded very much as if he had pinned all of his hopes of worldly happiness on Emme.

“Take care,” said Wiggins — the news of the betrothal, and Frederick’s inappropriate response, had emboldened him more than ever. “Take care that you don’t do something which you will live to regret!”

“The only thing that I regret,” said Frederick in a voice of deadly calm, “is that which I was unable to prevent.”

His face set, he stormed out of the study. Wiggins, Adam and Walham moved out of the way to clear a path for him.

“Your Grace?” said Walham. “Your Grace, where are you going?”

“To do what I should have done a long time ago. I will find that highwayman if it’s the last thing I do, and bring him to justice.”

Frederick looked at them all, wild-eyed.

Caroline stood there, her face a mask of complete shock, staring at her older brother as if he had transformed into a raging monster before her eyes. Then, without another word, Frederick spun and ran – out of the room and then down the stairs at a breakneck pace, through the main entrance foyer and out through the front door.

By now the staff had slipped out of the room, and were gathered in the hall, looking worried, quite certain that the master of the house was out of his mind. After Frederick ran past them, they followed to the front entrance, whispering and arguing.

Adam, Wiggins and Walham went down the stairs, slowly, and looked out to see, barely through the darkness, Frederick running around to the side of the house. Walham and Wiggins wanted to go after Frederick and prevent him from hurting himself - but Adam held up a hand to stay them.

“Leave him be,” he said. “Let him have his revenge, if he can manage it. He’s had no luck catching the man for months, so I can’t see that he’s likely to succeed now.”

Wiggins looked at Adam, frowning.

“But how will he go? It’s a dark night, and the wind’s up – surely he won’t think to ride out into this?”