Page 81 of Real Earls Break the Rules

“Despite wanting to kill him, I won’t.” Brandon’s narrowed gaze then turned to Begley.

The manager’s eyes were wide at the sight of Edward Arnold bleeding and sobbing, but he visibly flinched when Brandon turned his attention to him.

“Why?” Brandon asked tersely.

“I’m so…sorry, my lord. My mother’s ill, and Mr. Arnold promised he’d pay for the surgeon with the money from the coal,” Begley blabbered.

“You could have come to me,” Brandon said.

Begley hung his head. “Mr. Arnold said no one would be hurt. All I had to do was tamper with the looms.”

“Get out of my sight,” Brandon snapped. “The constable will deal with both of you.”

…

An hour later, Amelia was in Rosehill’s drawing room. She sat on a velvet settee with her wrapped ankle resting on a padded footstool.

Brandon knelt at her side, a look of concern etched on his features. He lifted the hem of her dress and cradled her foot in his hands. “Does it still hurt?”

The sharp pain was now a dull ache. “It’s much better now.”

He studied her face unhurriedly, feature by feature. “Amelia, my heart stopped when you hobbled around the corner of the factory with Begley and Arnold in hot pursuit. And when I learned of their intent to harm you and how close I came to losing you, I was terrified. You are precious to me. I need you, and I can’t imagine life at Rosehill, London, or anywhere without you by my side.”

He rested his head in her lap. Her heart leaped in her chest, and her fingers threaded through his thick hair. “I was afraid, but even more than fear, I was furious at the betrayal.”

He raised his head and met her eyes. “You mean at Begley?”

“No. He acted horribly by sabotaging the power looms even after you promoted him to factory manager, but he was under duress from his mother’s illness. He should have come to you, of course, but it wasn’t his betrayal that angered me.”

“If you’re speaking of Edward Arnold, I never knew the man before he arrived at Rosehill with my father’s IOU.”

“I didn’t mean Mr. Arnold. I meant your father’s betrayal. He knew there was coal on Rosehill and he never told you. Why?”

A cold expression settled on Brandon’s features. “Nothing surprises me about my parent. My father never bothered to mine the coal. He kept the knowledge secret because he knew he would need the money to satisfy gambling debts. It worked just as he wanted. Edward Arnold increased the amount of the loan after learning about the coal. Arnold knew the old earl couldn’t pay off the loan, and he wanted the land and the coal. My father’s death caused concern, of course. If Arnold was to get his hands on the coal, he needed to ensure that I wouldn’t be able to pay off the loan so he sabotaged the power looms.”

“What about your grandfather? Surely he knew.”

“My grandfather knew when he purchased the land, but he died when I was young. The only person he told was my father.”

“The dowager had no idea about the coal?”

“Just like my own parents, my grandparents couldn’t stand to be in each other’s presence for more than an hour. My grandfather wouldn’t have shared the information with my grandmother.”

She shook her head regretfully. “Oh, Brandon. I’m sorry for everything.” He was worthy of affection and deep love, and she vowed to show him just that every day of their marriage.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m not going to repeat either of their marital mistakes.” His look was purposeful and tugged at her heart.

“What will happen to Mr. Begley and Mr. Arnold?” she asked.

“The constable arrested both men for their crimes. They will be dealt with by the law.”

She was afraid to ask the question, but she needed to know the truth. “What about the IOU and the money owed to Mr. Arnold?”

“The document conveniently disappeared.”

She took a quick breath. “What do you mean?”

A mischievous gleam lit his eyes. “There are no copies and the constable couldn’t find it.”