“That is not true,” Lady Charlotte responded. “We both wanted your brother dead.”
Harriet interjected, “I have had enough of Lord Rushcliffe.” She turned towards Lady Charlotte. “Shoot him.”
Lady Charlotte nodded. “My pleasure.”
As she pulled the trigger, the sound of multiple pistols discharging could be heard before he felt a searing pain in his chest.
With Marigold in her lap, Enid sat in an upholstered armchair as she read a book. She had just turned to the last page when Malcolm stormed into the room, his eyes frantic.
“Here you are,” he said. “I have been looking for you everywhere.”
Hearing the panic in his voice, she asked, “What is wrong?”
Malcolm hesitated before revealing, “Greydon has been shot.”
Enid could feel the blood drain from her face. “Is he dead?”
“No, but I just received word from Roswell,” he replied. “The doctor is tending to Greydon now at his townhouse.”
Rising, Enid said, “I must go to him.”
“I assumed as much and the coach is waiting out front,” Malcolm responded. “I will escort you for propriety’s sake.”
As she handed off Marigold to the nursemaid, she stated, “I care little about propriety right now.”
“I know, but please appease me.”
Enid knew her brother was just trying to help her but she cared about little else right now. She needed to ensure that Greydon was all right. She couldn’t even stomach the thought that he wasn’t. She didn’t want to imagine a world where Greydon wasn’t in it. He meant so much to her that a life without him wasn’t a life worth living.
She brushed past her brother and headed towards the main door. The butler opened the door and she stepped into the waiting coach. Once Malcolm sat across from her, the footman closed the door and the coach jerked forward.
It wasn’t far to Greydon’s townhouse but every moment that went by was excruciating. Never had she known such fear. Everything seemed so inconsequential compared to this.
Malcolm’s voice broke through the silence. “It will be all right.”
Enid nodded slowly, knowing her brother was just trying to provide comfort in his own way. But nothing would be all right if Greydon died.
What a fool she had been. She thought she was protecting herself by keeping him at arm’s length, but she should have kept him close. That is where she wanted him to be from now on.
The coach came to a stop in front of Greydon’s townhouse and Malcolm opened the door, not bothering to wait for the footman. He stepped out onto the pavement and extended his hand to assist her out of the coach.
With quick steps, they approached the townhouse and Malcolm pounded on the door.
The door promptly opened and the butler asked, “How may I help you?”
Malcolm opened his mouth to speak but Enid didn’t have time for pleasantries. “Where is he?” she asked.
“Where is ‘who’, Miss?” the butler asked.
“Lord Rushcliffe,” she replied. “I need to see him at once.”
The butler must have sensed her urgency because he opened the door wide. “Do come in,” he encouraged.
After she stepped inside, she heard loud laughter coming from a room off the entryway. Who was laughing at a time like this, she wondered.
The sound of Greydon’s voice drifted out of the room and she rushed towards it. She knew she was being rude to not wait for an introduction but she didn’t care. Nothing else mattered to her but seeing Greydon.
She stepped into the room and saw Greydon sitting down on the settee, a smile on his face. He was conversing with Lord Roswell, Mr. Westcott and Mr. Moore.
