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“You do not have to keep thanking me.”
“Yes, I do. I was the reason you were tortured and abused for over a year—”
“Jarvis,” Payne said harshly. “You are also the reason my wife is still alive. I know I haven’t been exactly friendly toward you lately, but it is not because I feel resentment toward you.”
“You don’t? Because I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
Jarvis squeezed Olivia’s hand, and she reciprocated. Blake had been away from his wife for over a year because of his imprisonment. Jarvis could not imagine what that had felt like. One week away from Olivia had almost killed him.
“I do not. We are expecting a babe and without you, it wouldn’t be possible. But many things serve as reminders of my past life, and I just need to move forward from that.”
The carriage stopped once again.
“This is where you get off, Jarvis,” Payne said.
Jarvis sat for a moment, looking at the floor. He then raised Olivia’s hand and placed another kiss on her knuckles. “I shall come by your house on the morrow.”
Olivia smiled. “Do not make promises. I can’t survive another one of your disappearances.”
Jarvis gave her a light smile and chucked her under her chin.
“I shall always come back to you.” With that, he left the carriage.
Jarvis ran up the stairs to his townhouse, and the butler immediately opened the door.
“Welcome home, my lord,” the butler said.
“Was there any correspondence in my absence?”
“Yes, my lord. In your study.”
Jarvis nodded. “Thank you.”
He asked for a bath to be heated, a supper tray brought into his room, and for the carriage to be sprigged, while he moved in the direction of the study.
There was some usual correspondence, a few notes from Olivia wondering where he’d disappeared to, and one letter from Erebus.
Jarvis opened the envelope and cursed.
Due to the unfolding of recent events, you are suspended from duty for an indefinite time. Your missions are reassigned and you are not to wear the Shadows’ attire, lest we take it away from you for good.
Erebus
These few words sent a chill down Jarvis’s spine. They didn’t care about him at all. While he was starving in Hades’ dungeon, they’d made no attempts to rescue him, nor did they worry about his wellbeing. More than that, they’d kicked him out of the damn society.
He’d deal with the Shadows later. But first things first. There was a more important issue on his mind.
An hour later, Jarvis came back downstairs feeling rejuvenated. He’d had a bit of food—he couldn’t eat more than a small portion after a week of being starved. He’d washed himself and had his valet shave and clothe him. Jarvis took his walking stick and entered the carriage with dark determination in his eyes.
He knocked on the roof of the carriage with his walking stick and shouted, “To Greyson St. John’s.”
A few minutes later, he arrived at his cousin’s house and was welcomed into the parlor. Only instead of Greyson, the person who waited for him was his cousin’s wife. Helen.
“Jarvis,” Helen said, feigning delight. “How good of you to visit. We’ve missed you, Greyson and I.”
“Have you, cousin?” Jarvis came closer and placed a kiss on Helen’s hand.
She looked paler than usual, and dark circles surrounded her eyes.
