AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Forty
It was a late night; however, Charles left the Duke, resting comfortably and out of any danger. The physician said that he would have the Duke returned home the next day.
Charles awoke late the next morning. Mrs. Osbourne had a brief letter for him, from Lord Dunsmore.
Good work, Mr. Conolly. Are you sure that you want to continue as a barrister? I think I could use a fellow investigator, if you are interested.
Charles laughed, setting the letter aside, to be answered later. He had enough intrigue to last him quite a while. He planned to settle down, marry Arabella, and live peacefully.
He ate his breakfast slowly, reading the paper. There was a story on the front page, about the Duke of Tiverwell’s brush with death.
The Duke had been leaving the establishment on Barker Street, when he went down an alley in an attempt to meet up with his carriage a few blocks away, when he was accosted by the individual responsible for the murders of five other gentlemen.
Luckily, Charles Conolly of Basil Square was following a short distance behind, and saw the individual—an unknown woman—stab the Duke of Tiverwell in the side. Mr. Conolly was able to prevent her from causing any more grievous harm to His Grace.
The constables arrived soon after. They report that the woman has yet to give them her name, or her story. She is scheduled to give a deposition this morning.
The last time that Charles had been in the paper, it had been as the child of a man who had been wrongly executed. To have been the savior in this case was a blessed relief.
He decided to stop by to get the deposition. He had many questions which begged answers. Then, he would stop by the Duke of Tiverwell’s, so that he could bring them answers.
* * *
Charles arrived at the townhome of the Duke of Tiverwell early in the afternoon. He knocked on the door, then waited. Mr. Blankley opened the door. He smiled.
“I was told to expect you, sir,” he said, holding the door open. “Please come inside—get out of the cold!” The butler treated him with open solicitousness.
Charles was shown in to the Duke’s bedroom, where he was propped up on some pillows. Arabella sat in a chair beside the bed. She smiled at Charles.
“I presume you’ve brought us some news,” she said.
“Arabella, perhaps you shouldn’t hear this,” the Duke said.
“I know most of the unsavory details already,” she told him. “Particularly where you were. Now, you’ll either let me hear what Charles has learned, or I’ll ask him as soon as he’s done telling you.”
The Duke narrowed his eyes. “Very well. Have a seat, Mr. Conolly.”
Mr. Blankley had just pulled up a chair, so Charles sat. “Thank you, Mr. Blankley,” he said. He gathered his thoughts for a moment.
“She’s given her deposition, Your Grace,” Charles began. “Her name is Diana Bartlett, although she seems to call herself Nemesis. She used to be the Earl of Bromwell’s maid.”
“Lord Bromwell?” the Duke gasped.
“She and the Earl of Bromwell had a bit of a romance, years ago,” Charles explained. “He got her pregnant, and then threw her out of the house when she claimed that the child was his. She was left on the streets, with not much money. The only people to have mercy on her were the workers at Madam Christina’s.
“After she gave birth to the child—a son—she gave him up, and then began working as a prostitute herself at Madam Christina’s. After a while, the Earl showed up—as one of her clients. He didn’t recognize her—so changed was she. She followed him out and killed him, dumping his body into the river. After that, she began to murder all of her clients. The married ones, in particular.”
“What about Longmire?” the Duke asked.
“He was to be married,” Charles said. “He had told her as much. She asked him if he still planned on seeing her, afterwards, and he promised that he would. She marked him for death, immediately.”
“Pappa,” Arabella chided.
“I was,” her father admitted. He turned to Charles. “I can’t ask you to promise that you won’t—”
“I would never be unfaithful to Arabella,” Charles said. “Not even in a moment of insanity.” He turned to Arabella. “I promise you, you have nothing to worry about on that point.” She beamed at him, reaching out. He took her hand in his.
“No one deserves her more than you,” the Duke said.
