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“And what?”
“I tried to get away, but Vance stopped me, so I threatened him with a letter opener, but he...” Tabitha’s voice drifted off, remembering those terrifying moments before Andrew had burst in.
Phillip slowly rose to his feet, his hands balled into tight fists at his side. Softly, barely a whisper, he said, “I’ll kill him.”
He charged for the door as Ethan, Hugh, and Tabitha all at once lunged to stop him. There was shouting from all in the party before they got Phillip to sit down. Tabitha sat next to him, trying to calm him.
She saw the murderous rage boiling just beneath the surface. Phillip had always been protective of Tabitha, even when they were children. It was one of the things she loved most about her twin brother.
Tabitha put her hand on Phillip’s arm. “Nothing happened. Lord Vance tried to make unwanted advances toward me, but Andrew came in time to stop him. They had quite a tussle, and Andrew punched Lord Vance. He saved me from that lecherous man.”
The words seemed to cool Phillip’s temper, and he visibly relaxed. He turned to his sister. “Who is Andrew?”
“The Duke of Holcombe. He is much like you and is aware of more than he lets on. It seems he hired men to watch me, without my knowledge. Those men followed me to Lord Vance’s house that night and notified Andrew, so he was there in time, before anything happened.”
“I don’t think the Duke of Holcombe is the type of man you want to associate with,” said Hugh. “I met him a few times at the gaming halls. He’s got quite the reputation.”
“Damn his reputation,” she said, rising from her seat, agitated. “You don’t know him like I do. He’s changed since getting the title, and now he’s in trouble, which is why I didn’t realize I was being followed until it was too late. I was distracted.”
“What exactly is going on?” Ethan asked.
Tabitha met each man’s stare. Besides Phillip, she knew she could trust Ethan and Hugh with her life. They were like brothers to her. If there were going to help, they needed to know everything.
For the next hour, Tabitha told them all the facts concerning Andrew’s recent troubles, including his story of the events surrounding his brother’s death and the newest accusations of conspiracy to commit murder and how he was stuck at his country estate.
“We need to speak to Sir Darnley,” Ethan said. “He’ll be able to find this Herr scoundrel.”
Everyone agreed. The men would send a message to Sir Darnley, but for tonight, they would go to the safe house. Tabitha prayed he could be of service.
“By the way,” said Hugh, “you seem to have veryintimateknowledge about the duke. How were you able to spend so much time with the man to get all this information?”
Phillip turned to his sister. “Hugh has a point.” He crossed his arms. “Just what exactly is your relationship with Holcombe?”
Tabitha tilted her chin up. “He loves me, and he has asked me to marry him.”
“That’s not much of an answer,” Ethan said with a chuckle. “I don’t think I would accept that answer from my sister.”
“You be quiet,” Tabitha spat at the man, knowing he was just as protective of his sister, Emily, as Phillip was of her.
“I trust your judgement,” her brother said. “You wouldn’t give your heart away to just anyone.”
“Thank you.”
She gave Phillip a hug, then shooed them out the door. They had to make sure they left before Lord and Lady Bedford returned home.
After the men left, Tabitha retired to her chamber, exhausted. Perhaps she could finally get a good night’s sleep.
The next morning, Tabitha went about her routine. The previous night, she had agreed with Phillip to continue as if nothing was amiss. He would send word after meeting with Sir Darnley and tell her the plan of action.
Throughout the day, Tabitha had to act as if nothing had happened. She went shopping with Fiona and her mother, had tea with Aunt Caroline, then had dinner with her parents.
The entire day passed without a word from Phillip. By the next day, she couldn’t stop herself from sending a letter to Sir Darnley asking if he had spoken to Phillip. That evening, she received a message from his secretary that he had left the office in a hurry the day prior, and it was unknown when he would return.
Tabitha flung the letter on the floor. Perfect. Now she had no way of knowing if he had heard from Phillip. Had Sir Darnley left town because of some scrape her brother had gotten himself into?
Not knowing what else to do and feeling helpless, she visited Thorne’s office to see if any progress had been made on his end. The longer she waited, the more possibilities for things to go wrong.
This was all her fault, she thought, as the carriage took her to Thorne’s office. If she had just married Lord Vance, none of this would have happened. Phillip wouldn’t have been about to be accused of treason, and Andrew wouldn’t have gotten involved either. But if she hadn’t left, she never would have met Andrew, never have known passion, or basked in his love. Tabitha shook her head. It was no use dwelling on the past when their future was at stake. Somehow, everything would work out in the end. It had to.
