Page 88 of The Duke of Pain

Gideon, the policeman, the staff, and Olivia and Althea, managed to halt the flames from doing further damage. Thankfully, there was no wind tonight.

The stable would have to be rebuilt and the roof by the back entrance repaired, but it could have been worse. So much worse.

Gideon assisted Constable Belcher in slinging Whinstone over the saddle and lashing him to it.

Then Gideon came to Olivia, framing her face with his hands. “I have to accompany Belcher to the Stanford-le-Hope police station. I will return as soon as I can.”

“I’m bleeding,” Whinstone yelled. “I need a doctor!”

“With any luck, you will bleed out before we get to Stanford,” Gideon yelled back. “But you won’t, more’s the pity.”

He turned to Olivia and said in a quieter tone, “I do not know how long I will be.”

“I’ll be here, waiting. However long it takes, Gideon.”

He caressed her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. “I don’t deserve you.” Then in a soft voice only she could hear, “I love you with every fiber of my being.”

Olivia’s heart soared. “The same for me. To the depths of my soul.”

Olivia watched as they rode away, her heart bursting with love.

Althea came up to stand next to her. “Well, that was decidedly romantic. The farewell, I mean. Sorry, didn’t mean to overhear.”

“I never thought I would ever fall in love,” Olivia said wistfully. “And certainly not with a duke.” She turned to face Althea. “What Whinstone said, about me being a brothel wh—”

Althea slipped her arm through Olivia’s. “My friend, we are friends, aren’t we?” Olivia nodded. “I don’t care a whit about your past, whatever it is. If many years from now, we are sipping tea by the fire on a rainy afternoon, and you feel compelled to reveal your past, I will be all attention. Until then, it’s the present and future that takes precedence.”

Olivia patted her hand. “You are so right.”

* * *

The sun peeked over the horizon, casting shadows through the windows of the Essex police station. Gideon had been there all night, giving his statement and waiting to hear the results of the questioning of Whinstone, his mistress, and the hired men.

Rainer called Gideon into the office around eight o’clock.

“Have a seat, Your Grace. I told you there was no need to remain. I would have come to Foxmont later this morning.”

“I wanted to stay. Well? What was said?”

Rainer referred to his notes. “The man, Jacob Bisby, has denied that the duke had any knowledge or involvement in the kidnapping and assault on Miss Durham. Unfortunately, that will be a case for the London court to decide. If you choose to bring charges.”

Gideon frowned. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

“It will be hard to prove, Your Grace. The case will hinge on Miss Durham’s testimony. To say that women have a hard time bringing assault charges against men is a regrettable reality in British justice.”

Rainer tsked. “And that is not all. Once Miss Durham stands in the docket, she will be torn to shreds. Every aspect of her life lay bare. Believe me, the duke’s solicitors will leave no stone unturned. They will distort anything that will favor their client.”

Gideon remembered what the judge had told Olivia, how the woman victim is put on trial more than the perpetrator. It angered him afresh.

“That will be Miss Durham’s decision, but I will certainly relay all that you have said. And the theft of goods?”

“Ah, we will have more success there, Your Grace. He was caught red-handed, as it were. With the testimony of the servants and your own, I can foresee a conviction to be certain. The two men taken with Bisby are denying any knowledge of the theft, saying they were hired to transport goods. Whether they knew it or not, they can be charged as accessories.”

“And what is Bisby saying about the robbery?”

Rainer shook his head. “Dedicated to the duke to the end, though I do not why. He claims that he had no awareness there was thievery afoot, claiming the same as the hired men. That will not hold up because the butler said it was Bisby who struck him and tied him up in the servants’ hall.”

“And the woman? Whinstone’s mistress?”