“None.”
Caleb frowned. “I have been wracking my brain for a reason but I can’t think of one either. Do you think someone is trying to get to me through Anette?”
“Anything is possible at this point.”
With a glance at the back of Roswell’s head, Caleb said, “We should have a doctor look at your wound. It might need stitches.”
That was the least of his concerns. He was far more concerned with Anette. “If it does, I will have my valet stitch me up before I go to bed.”
“Suit yourself,” Caleb responded. “Shall we go speak to my father?”
Roswell eyed his friend curiously. “Are you ready to do so?”
“I have to be,” Caleb said. “Even if we get my father to confess, we both know that it won’t end well for him.”
“Are you prepared for that?”
Caleb shrugged. “It was my father’s choice to get into bed with the French.”
Roswell could tell that his friend was trying to keep up a brave face, but he heard a tinge of sorrow in his voice. He could only imagine how hard this was for him.
“Come along, let’s get this over with,” Caleb said with a wave of his hand.
They walked towards the rear of the townhouse and stepped into the study. Roswell saw Lord Oxley sitting at his desk, his head hunched over the ledgers.
“Father,” Caleb greeted.
Lord Oxley’s head shot up. “What are you doing home so early?” he asked. “Didn’t you stay for the fireworks?”
“We saw some, but we had a mishap,” Caleb replied as he walked further into the room.
Roswell closed the door behind him, knowing this conversation should remain private.
Lord Oxley closed the ledger in front of him and asked, “What kind of mishap?”
Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Caleb revealed, “Someone attempted to abduct Anette.”
“What?!” Lord Oxley shouted, jumping up from his seat. “When did this happen?”
Roswell stepped forward and replied, “We were on our way to the pavilion when a man hit me over the head with a rock and tried to abduct Anette.”
“How was she able to escape?” Lord Oxley asked, his panicked eyes darting between them.
“She was able to retrieve her pistol and scare the man off,” Caleb replied.
Lord Oxley shoved back his chair and walked over to the drink cart. He picked up the decanter and poured himself a drink. “This is all my fault,” he said as he picked up his glass.
“How could it possibly be your fault?” Caleb asked.
“It just is,” Lord Oxley remarked dismissively. “Anette may not like it but she is not to leave this townhouse, for any reason.”
“That is what we told her as well,” Caleb said.
“Good, good,” Lord Oxley muttered before taking a sip of his drink. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to her.”
Caleb exchanged a look with Roswell before turning his attention back towards his father. “We do need to speak to you about a delicate matter.”
“Can it not wait?” Lord Oxley asked. “I am still trying to process that my daughter was almost abducted.”
