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Arabella didn’t realize that she was clinging to his hand, until she was up in the carriage, and she was forced to let go of it. Her eyes met his. How desperately she wanted him to come, too.
“I’ll stop by later to see how you’re doing,” he offered, sensing what she wanted.
“That won’t be necessary,” her father said curtly. Arabella’s face fell.
“As you wish, Your Grace,” Charles said, stepping back and closing the carriage door. He held Arabella’s gaze, shrugging to her. He looked worried.
The carriage pulled away. She kept her eyes on him, until the carriage pulled out of sight. She turned to her father.
“Why do you treat him like that?” she asked. “He was just being kind.”
He frowned at her. “I saw the way that you clung to him,” he replied. “I thought I made it clear.”
“Crystal,” she snapped.
“Please!” her mother said, cutting in. “Can you not argue! A gentleman has been murdered!”
Arabella turned her gaze toward the window, ignoring her father for the rest of the ride. Her thoughts were disordered, and they raced about like horses which had run away.
She recalled the day when Black Jack had thrown her. How she had clung to Charles. She ached for that kind of closeness to him. Sadly, she had no assurances that she would ever have it again.
* * *
Charles watched the sleek black carriage, pulled by the matched pair of equally sleek black horses. He was concerned for Arabella—that she had seen something so frightful. He returned to the office. Arthur had already gone inside of his own office.
Charles went inside of his office, closing the door after him. He glanced at his ledger. He had worked for all three of the victims so far.
The Earl of Diggar, the Viscount of Drysdale, and the Earl of Dansbury. They had all recently updated their wills. He had an odd feeling.
His gut was telling him that there was some sort of a link. He considered the other gentlemen of the ton, who had recently approached him in regards to updating their wills, or making sure that their estate planning was all well in hand.
There was the Duke of Tiverwell, chief amongst them, demanding that Charles revise the laws of titles. But there were several others, requesting similar services, all of them gentlemen in their prime.
He’d thought nothing of it, before because it was simply what he did, there had been nothing suspicious about it. He began to make a list, making note of those who had recently come to him for the same service. He tried to think if any of them seemed anxious at all.
The Duke of Tiverwell certainly was. He had clearly been shaken when his wife and daughter had found the Earl of Danbury. Initially, he’d thought the Duke upset due to the death of his friend.
What if he’s upset because he believes himself to be next?
Furthermore, what if the killer was trying to set Charles up to take the fall for him? Charles needed to do something—to protect himself, as well as his clients.
