Page 81 of An Affair at Stonecliffe

His face was grim. “Even if it is Nathan.”

WHEN THEY ARRIVED at the house, it was ablaze with lights. Noelle turned to Carlisle, her heart suddenly pounding. “Something’s happened.”

They were out of the carriage as soon as it stopped in front of the house. The gates to the courtyard were locked, as they always were these days, and it seemed to take the coachman forever to get down from the high seat of the vehicle and unlock them. Flinging the gate open, Noelle and Carlisle ran across the courtyard. No footman opened the door to greet them, and when they rushed inside, they found the entryway empty. From the drawing room came a babble of voices, with Lady Lockwood’s trumpeting over all the others. “Silence! Having hysterics won’t remedy the situation.”

“No...oh, Gil,” Noelle moaned.

“Steady on.” Carlisle took her arm, and they hurried down the hall into the drawing room.

Adeline and her mother, as well as the butler and three footmen, were clustered around the chaise longue. Diggs, looking rather pale, stood beside the mantel, and several other servants huddled together on the far side of the room, whispering.

When Noelle and Carlisle entered the room, everyone swung around.

“Carlisle!” Adeline cried with relief and started toward them.

The crowd around the chaise longue parted, and Noelle saw that Nathan lay on it, his eyes closed and his shirtfront stained red with blood. Annabeth knelt beside him, pressing a wad of cloth to his chest.

“Carlisle!” Echoing Adeline’s cry, Annabeth jumped to her feet and turned to face him. “Thank God you’re here. Nathan’s been shot!”

“What the devil!” Carlisle strode across the room to her.

Noelle glanced around. “Where’s Gil? Is Gil all right?”

“He’s fine,” Adeline reassured her, taking Noelle’s hand. “Nothing happened to him. He’s in bed, asleep.”

“Thank God.” Suddenly Noelle’s knees went weak, and she sat down hastily.

Carlisle had gone down on one knee beside Annabeth. “Is Nathan—”

“He’s alive,” Annabeth told him. “We sent to the stables for one of the grooms to ride for Dr. Havers.”

“I’ll go. My horse is fastest, and none of them can ride him.” Carlisle turned to the footman. “You. Potter. Run to the stables and tell them to saddle Samson. I’ll be there in a minute.” As the footman hurried off, Carlisle lifted the cloth from Nathan’s chest to inspect the wound. “Did the ball go through him?”

Annabeth shook her head. Tears shone in her eyes. “He’ll have to pull it out. Oh, Carlisle, is he going to live? I cannot bear it!”

“Of course.” He nodded reassuringly. “You’re doing well. Just keep pressing the bandage to him.” He rose and swung around to face the rest of the room. “Someone tell me what the devil happened here. Who shot Nathan?”

Diggs straightened and stepped forward manfully. “That was me, sir.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“YOU!” CARLISLE GAPED at Diggs. “How—what—”

“I had to, sir. I didn’t know what else to do. I was guarding the lad, and I must have dozed in my seat because I woke up, sudden-like, and there Mister Dunbridge was, holding a pillow over the boy’s face. I shouted and grabbed my gun, but Mr. Dunbridge swung around and aimed his pistol at me. So I fired. I knew I was a dead man if I didn’t, and if he did me in, he’d kill young Master Gilbert. I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t even realize who he was until he fell and I went over to him. It—well, I didn’t see what else I could have done.”

“Are you certain he was smothering Gil?” Carlisle asked. “Couldn’t he have been merely checking on the boy?”

Diggs shook his head. “No, sir. He had the pillow across the boy’s face and was holding it down with both hands. I wasn’t certain the lad was alive until I pulled the pillow away. And there is Mr. Dunbridge’s pistol on the mantelpiece. I picked it up from the floor where he dropped it. I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. He wouldn’t have been able to do it if I had been awake; he wouldn’t have tried.”

“No, it’s not your fault. I can’t blame you.” Carlisle’s face was set in weary lines. He looked over at Noelle, and she had to fight the urge to take him in her arms to comfort him. She felt saddened and betrayed by what Nathan had done; she could only imagine how deep Carlisle’s feelings must run. But, of course, she could do nothing to ease his pain.

“I’ll return as quickly as possible.” He walked past Noelle, his hand brushing her arm in a gesture of silent reassurance that warmed her heart.

Diggs followed him down the hall, the two men talking in an undertone. Noelle watched them go, then turned back to Adeline. Everything inside her wanted only to run up the stairs to Gil; despite Adeline’s assurance that Gil was unharmed, she could not feel better until she saw him for herself. Yet she felt that she should say something, do something to help Annabeth and Adeline.

Fortunately, Adeline seemed to sense what Noelle was feeling, and she reached out to pat Noelle’s arm. “Go see Gil. I know you must want to, and that is where you belong. We will do well enough here. There’s little to be done other than pray Carlisle returns with the doctor before...” Her voice trailed off and tears filled her eyes as she looked back at the chaise where Nathan lay, still and silent.

Noelle wasted no time in taking her advice, rushing out of the room and up the stairs. The hallway lay in gloom, the sconces on the wall providing only a little light. As she hurried down it, Noelle couldn’t help but think of the servants carrying Nathan, wounded and bleeding, along this shadowy corridor to the stairs, and the image sent a shiver through her.